The American defense industry has taken a step towards creating fundamentally new means of protection against unmanned aerial vehicles. Aurelius Systems has successfully completed tests of the Archimedes autonomous directed energy system for the US Department of Defense. The tests took place at Camp Atterbury in Indiana as part of a large-scale Pentagon program to evaluate advanced technologies.
The main difference in these tests was the use of real military targets. Previously, similar systems were tested on commercial drones, but this time specialized military unmanned systems fell under the sights of Archimedes.
Full Autonomy and Destruction Without Missiles
The complex demonstrated the ability to independently detect, identify, track, and destroy aerial threats. The system operates fully autonomously, eliminating the need for classic missile interception means.
The development is aimed at intercepting unmanned aerial systems (UAS) of the 1st and 2nd groups. These include both small reconnaissance drones and large UAVs weighing up to 599 kg, capable of reaching speeds of up to 463 km/h.
Technological Advantages
The combination of a powerful laser emitter with highly sensitive optical and radar sensors allows the system to effectively disable the electronics or structural components of drones at a distance of more than 1000 meters. A unique feature of the installation is the ability to fire almost continuously at multiple targets in succession.
Economics of War: From Missiles to Electricity
In the conditions of a modern conflict, where cheap kamikaze drones are widely used, traditional air defense systems become economically inefficient. Missiles are expensive, and their ammunition is limited. Archimedes offers a radically different approach: the cost of a single laser "shot" is negligible, as the weapon uses only electricity.
The developers managed to create an installation in a compact form factor with low weight and power consumption requirements. This allows the system to be quickly deployed to protect forward positions, military bases, or critical infrastructure objects from enemy swarm attacks.