Not likely to make it to Ukraine any time soon. "Can't give away the store". The Air Force's new directed energy weapon is ready to blast drone swarms out of the sky Story by Jared Keller • Friday The Tactical High-power Operational Responder (THOR), a high-powered microwave counter drone weapon, stands ready to demonstrate its effectiveness against a swarm of multiple targets at the Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, Chestnut Test Site, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., April 5, 2023. AFRL completed a successful demonstration of THOR simulating a real-world swarm attack. This was the first test of this scale in AFRL history. (U.S. Air Force photo / Adrian Lucero)© Provided by Task & Purpose By the hammer of Thor! The Air Force has successfully employed its primary directed energy weapon to knock a swarm of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles out of the sky in the first test of its kind, the service announced this week. The latest demonstration of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Tactical High-power Operational Responder (THOR), a high-powered microwave emitter designed to take out incoming drones for short-range air base defense, took place at the Chestnut Test Site at Kirtland Air Force Base in April. During the trial, the THOR team “flew numerous drones at the THOR system to simulate a real-world swarm attack,” said program manager Adrian Lucero in a statement. “THOR has never been tested against these types of drones before.” THOR “was exceptionally effective at disabling the swarm with its wide beam, high peak powers, and fast-moving gimbal to track and disable the targets,” Lucero said. Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today. Get the latest military news, entertainment, and gear in your inbox daily. First delivered to the Air Force in April 2020 and field tested “in a real-world setting” in Africa later that year, THOR consists of a 20-foot transport container that easily fits inside a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and can be deployed for use by a pair of airmen within three hours, according to a September report from the Congressional Research Service. The Air Force has requested $87.148 million for high-powered microwave research related to THOR in its fiscal year 2024 budget request, according to service budget documents, up from $57.623 million the previous year. The funding increase “reflects the development and delivery of a high-priority base defense mission with joint high power microwave defense system with the military services.” While there is no publicly-released media of the THOR in action, the Air Force released a video animation in June 2021 depicting its vision for it as a quick-and-dirty counter-drone system able to disable targets with more efficiency than traditional air base defense systems or even the high-energy lasers currently in development for other service branches. “There are several drone negating systems available; guns, nets, and laser systems,” according to the AFRL. “THOR looks to extend the range to effect and decrease the engagement time over these other deterrent devices. U.S. military leaders have been harping on the threat posed by adversary’s unmanned aerial vehicles for years, with former U.S. Central Command chief Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr. calling the rise of cheap and commercially-available drones in the Middle East “the most concerning tactical development since the rise of the improvised explosive device in Iraq.” “These systems are inexpensive, easy to modify and weaponize, and easy to proliferate,” McKenzie said during a February 2021 speech at the Middle East Institute, echoing his past comments on the matter. “They provide adversaries the operational ability to surveil and target U.S. and partner facilities while affording plausible deniability and a disproportionate return on the investment, all in our adversaries’ favor.” Drones have proven a thorn in the U.S. military’s side since 2017 when ISIS fighters began employing them to drop mortar rounds onto Iraqi security forces during the coalition campaign to retake the city of Mosul. A few years later, in 2019, the U.S. accused Iran of using a drone swarm to disable a massive oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia.“Although an individual low-cost drone may be powerless against a high-tech system like the F-35 stealth fighter, a swarm of such drones could potentially overwhelm high-tech systems, generating significant cost-savings and potentially rendering some current platforms obsolete,” according to a 2020 CRS analysis of artificial intelligence and its relationship to U.S. national security. The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Tactical High-power Operational Responder (THOR) developed for airbase defense. (Courtesy photo/AFRL Directed Energy Directorate)© Provided by Task & Purpose The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Tactical High-power Operational Responder (THOR) developed for airbase defense. (Courtesy photo/AFRL Directed Energy Directorate) Recent years have shown the potential applications of drones in conventional warfare. In the 2020 conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, drones ”performed both reconnaissance missions to support artillery use and strike missions,” according to a Center for Strategic and International Studies analysis. “Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and loitering munition attacks were able to destroy heavy ground units, including T-72 tanks and advanced S-300 air defenses.” Indeed, that trend had continued through the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has seen the Ukrainian military aggressively retrofit commercially-available small rotorcraft to drop explosives on Russian tanks and troop positions, part of a desperate bid to supplement its existing fleet of military-grade unmanned aerial vehicles, according to recent reporting from Reuters. It’s unclear when the Air Force might officially field the THOR for operational use in a combat zone, but based on the past comments from military leaders and the funding increase in the service’s fiscal year 2024 budget request. “THOR was extremely efficient with a near continuous firing of the system during the swarm engagement,” said Capt. Tylar Hanson, THOR deputy program manager, in a statement regarding the April test. “It is an early demonstrator, and we are confident we can take this same technology and make it more effective to protect our personnel around the world.” The latest on Task & Purpose Special Forces soldiers reveal first details of battle with Russian mercenaries in Syria Who was General Mark Milley before he was ‘The Chairman’? What we know about the Marine veteran who killed Jordan Neely on the New York City subway Fort Benning, ‘home of the Infantry,’ is now Fort Moore Ukraine claims it has routed a Russian brigade near Bakhmut. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...p&cvid=28e32dc91d0f4865909bc73491c6dd6b&ei=83
I had pondered this becoming a problem and a need for such a weapon a few yrs ago when cartels first started flying small packages across the border__ my thought expanded to swarms just making air space unsafe or bombing the shit out of a friendly positions.
I believe just 2 days ago Elon Musk called out AP about their fake news. Other than that Bakhmut fall is confirmed by geolocation. So there is not even an argument about that
Bro, MAGAtards have been saying Bahkmut's fallen for 2 months already. You're so late to this BS argument.
Who cares old man who has nothing to do other than repost fake messages believes? Anyway we're here not to change others opinions, it's impossible, but for own enjoyment.
Bakhmut doesn't exist anymore thanks to Putin and his Nazis for hire Prison Goons. It is just a spot on the ground now so WTF did they gain? Nada.
He labels everything fake that he disagrees with. Just like our clown former Prez. IOW your two favorite role models, well besides Putey.
It's amusing that you believe bullshiat you find on Tiktok and Telegram. Yet a mere two hours ago CNN has reporting over video from a correspondent located in western Bakhmut. Certainly the Russians hold a portion of Bakhmut and the Ukrainians hold a portion of Bakhmut -- in the midst of the conflict the amount controlled by each is not immediately clear. The Russian portion may have increased over the past 48 hours -- but Prigozhin's claims that Wagner captured all of Bakhmut are simply not to be believed. Especially since he stated Sunday "that his forces will leave the front line in eastern Ukraine on May 25 after "capturing all the territories they promised to capture, to the last square centimeter." So if Wagner leaves all of Bakhnut then what is going to happen? Would Wagner be leaving if things are going well? Especially since effectively the Ukrainians are encircling Bakhmut.
A lot of the media is/are reporting that the Russians have control of all of Bhakmut now. But as I said the other day it looked more to me like they were being encircled and that the Russians may be able to get in but it remains to be seen if they can get out. We shall see. I fully acknowledge that the Ukrainians are in a tough spot but it is also true that the Russians are not very bright and that includes senior command. It is also true that it looks to me like Prigo - the Wagner Guy- is anxious to declare victory in Bakhmut and then get out. And in that way, he gets to say that he did what the Russians could not do and then he leaves and the Russians lose control, which helps him with his political agenda. In reality the Russians may not be in control. Yet, anyway. The Russians who just rushed into the center are going to die there eventually. The Ukrainians are working Bhakhmut as part of their counteroffensive. Just to keep Russian troops bogged down in Bakhmut- while killing many- keeps them from participating in any other part of the counteroffensive. On the other hand, if the Russians get in trouble in the newer parts of the counteroffensive they will need to send troops from Bakhmut- and the Ukrainians will go on the offensive in Bakhmut again. Ukrainian forces semi-encircle Bakhmut, Russian troops have to switch to defence – Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Ukrainian forces semi-encircle Bakhmut, Russian troops have to switch to defence – Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister (msn.com)