UK Military Wants Lasers to Stop Drone Swarms Without Running Out of Ammo
Arthur T Knackerbracket writes:
Project PANOPTES puts 5M on the table for an autonomous, vehicle-mounted defense:
Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is seeking anti-drone technology capable of protecting troops from saturation attacks designed to overwhelm defenses or exhaust their ammunition.
The tender, dubbed Project PANOPTES, is being run by UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) on behalf of the MoD, with an initial 5 million ($6.8 million) available to successful bidders.
First-stage submissions close at midday on September 23, suggesting that the MoD is in something of a hurry.
According to the competition document, PANOPTES aims to deliver "an integrated Counter-Uncrewed Aerial System (C-UAS) force-protection capability, capable of autonomous operation."
The MoD wants a system that complements its existing defenses by detecting, tracking, and defeating low-cost threats without being overwhelmed or rapidly exhausting its ammunition. It must operate autonomously and be mountable on an Army vehicle.
UKDI is "particularly interested in capabilities centred on Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) effectors," although it will consider credible alternatives.
The initial focus is on NATO Class 1 uncrewed aerial systems, a category covering military drones weighing up to 150 kg. These include the small battlefield craft used extensively in Ukraine against targets ranging from armored vehicles to individual soldiers, rather than larger drones intended to strike fixed installations.
The requirement covers "single, repeated, sequential and simultaneous threat profiles" - including potential swarm attacks - as well as drones used for disruption or surveillance.
[...] Vulnerability to drones is a major concern for armed forces around the world. US defense startup Mara recently unveiled a counter-drone system that launches small interceptors from a vehicle roof, but these would eventually be used up in a battlefield situation.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.