Navy Efforts in Directed Energy Weapons: Importance of Metrology and Calibration

The findings presented in this paper are the result of a search of unclassified literature on different types of directed energy weapons and their metrological issues. The paper discusses metrology in an international sense and how it applies to Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division (NSWC Corona). From there, it discusses directed energy weapons and the technologies used to power such weapons, as well as the different directed energy weapons that have historically been developed and that are currently under development. Finally, it discusses various measurement and calibration techniques used on directed energy weapons, and why it is important for these measurements to be collected and maintained. Based on this unclassified research, it is clear that although directed energy weapons could play a game-changing role in the defense of our nation, there are many hurdles to overcome before they become effective components of the military weapons arsenal. In addition, as directed energy weapons continue to advance, development of measurement techniques and calibration procedures for these new technologies and systems must become a priority to ensure that they are reliable systems for the warfighter arsenal.