New US high-energy concept aims to counter man-portable missile threat

Jane's ^ | July 28, 2003 | Michael Sirak , Jonathan Weston

[FairOpinion]

Northrop Grumman has disclosed a new directed-energy laser weapon system that it has conceived to defeat small, supersonic missiles targeted at aircraft landing at and taking off from military airfields and civilian airports.

The Hazardous Ordnance Engagement Toolkit (HORNET) is an outgrowth of the company's continued work on the Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL) system for Israel and the US. Like MTHEL, the HORNET would be based on a megawatt-class deuterium-fluoride chemical laser that can shoot a lethal energy beam at the speed of light at a target, said Pat Caruana, vice president of Missile Defense in Northrop Grumman's Space Technology sector.

This quick-reaction capacity, along with the precision and safety attributes already shown by the MTHEL testbed, would make the HORNET a formidable capability to defeat manportable air defence surface-to-air missiles, he said. US defence officials, as well as their civilian air-safety counterparts, say these missiles pose an increasing threat to military and civilian aircraft.

Caruana told JDW the company has done "considerable analysis" of the concept, which it has already briefed to USAF officials and homeland security representatives.

The company believes that one or more strategically placed HORNET units could protect a large military airbase or civilian airport, shielding aircraft while they are most vulnerable at landing and, in particular, at take-off, when they are carrying heavy fuel loads, he said.

[FairOpinion]

I think this will be a major advance to be able to counter these missiles.

[LibWhacker]

It'll be a GREAT tool! But I don't like the subtext that it'll be okay to have ragheads running all around America with manportable missiles under their coats.

How about instead -- if there is such a threat from such an easily identifiable population -- we intern or deport the ones we've already got here, and keep the others out?

[FairOpinion]

The problem is that they are easily hidden -- they could be on a boat, just off the coast. Also they could do it in foreign countries -- US airlines do fly internationally.

Obviously the best thing is pre-emption, but it sure is nice to be able to intercept the missile even after it's launched. The same principle as the Missile Defense for the US. We want to make sure that if we can't pre-empt it, we can shoot it down in flight, makes us MUCH safer.

[Thorondir]

I'll go with that, my friend. YOU for president! (THEN we probably won't have to hear a bunch of lies about the religion of peace TERROR!