Novel High-Power Microwave Source for Long Range Vehicle/Vessel Stopping Applications

Consumer vehicles and vessels continue to become increasingly common worldwide, and thus, it continues to be critical for military forces to maintain effective measures to address vehicle-based potential threats. While scenarios with a clear adversarial threat are relatively straightforward to address, situations in which a potential threat’s intentions are unknown can be challenging. In the case where the potential vehicle/vessel-based threat has occurred through a misunderstanding or through circumstances that do not warrant lethal force, kinetic weapons often have undesirable outcomes. Further, the complex nature of modern warfare has led to an increased focus on the use of Non-Kinetic Effect (NKE) to disable an adversary temporarily to reduce casualties as well as the collateral damage to surrounding property. A NKE that disrupts the operation of a vehicle or vessel can provide forces with the additional time and standoff distance necessary to safely establish whether a potential threat is, in fact, hostile without harming the passengers or other persons in the vicinity. The modernization of vehicles and vessels with complex electrical systems creates an opportunity to force a NKE using a High-Power Microwave (HPM) device that bridges the gap between signage, physical obstacles, or barriers and lethal, kinetic weapons. While there are existing systems that can accomplish this goal, these existing systems struggle with size, weight, cost, and range limitations that make them difficult to deploy. Thus, it is desirable to develop a lightweight, compact, low-cost system capable of disabling vehicles in both maritime and ground domains. To address these needs, Integrated Solutions for Systems (IS4S), in concert with Metamagnetics (MTMGX), leveraged the collective expertise of company personnel in HPM/DEW experience to begin the development of a HPM source suitable for disrupting the operation of vehicles and vessels under the previous Phase I SBIR. The Phase I effort has shown significant promise in the ability of the IS4S-MTMGX team to develop a novel HPM source for vehicle and vessel stopping (VVS) applications. The three main tasks of the successful Phase I SBIR are discussed briefly herein for reference, and additional details can be found in the comprehensive Phase I Final Report. The overall objective of the Phase I effort was to explore a novel hybrid approach leveraging IS4S’s Frozen Wave Generator (FWG) technology to generate a low frequency (10-500 MHz) “pump” signal to drive a gyromagnetic Non-Linear Transmission Line (NLTL) designed and built by Metamagnetics (MTMGX) to generate GHz frequency waveforms with some center frequency and bandwidth adjustment. Such a device would provide non-lethal, intermediate force capabilities not only for long-range VVS applications in both maritime and ground domains but as a counter electronics system for a wide range of applications.