Raytheon’s Directed Energy Weapon Prototypes Coming to Air Force, Navy in FY 2024

RTX’s Raytheon division is prototyping directed energy weapon systems for the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy, in time for delivery in fiscal year 2024 and 2026. 

According to the company, it will design, build and test two system prototypes under a three-year, $31.3 million contract from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. 

Raytheon’s Tucson, Arizona, facility is already working on the antenna prototypes, which are under the Directed Energy Front-Line Electromagnetic Neutralization and Defeat program, C4ISRNET reported Tuesday. 

The news website noted that the Department of Defense spends $1 billion annually on average on directed-energy weapons for aircraft, warships and ground vehicles’ defense against drones and missiles. The weapons unleash energy waves to overwhelm and render useless their targets’ internal circuitry, it added. 

Previous Raytheon work on the weapon systems include the Air Force’s Counter-Electronic High Power Microwave Extended Range Air Base Defense in 2021. In September, Raytheon UK also announced it is set to test and integrate its first high-energy laser weapon system into the British military’s Wolfhound armored vehicle. 

The U.S. Army is undertaking a similar effort with Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Kord Technologies for the service’s Stryker vehicles.