The laser chapter (Laser and military applications) treats lasers mainly as measuring and marking instruments: rangefinding and target designation. Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) go a step further: they use concentrated electromagnetic energy as the weapon itself. Their appeal lies in three properties: effect at the speed of light, a deep magazine (as long as there is power), and a low cost per shot.
There are two main families:
- High-Energy Laser (HEL): directed optical energy that heats and destroys a target.
- High-Power Microwave (HPM) / RF weapons: powerful radio-frequency pulses that disrupt or destroy electronics.
| Characteristic | HEL (laser) | HPM (microwave) |
|---|---|---|
| Effect | heats/burns material and optics | overloads electronics |
| Beam | very narrow — pinpoint, one target | wide — several targets at once |
| Pointing accuracy | high accuracy needed (tracking + dwell) | coarse; "pointing" is enough |
| Ideal against | drones, missiles, sensors, optics | swarms, electronics, sensors |
| Biggest enemy | weather / atmosphere | shielding |