Defense Speak Interpreted: Is DARPA Still Around After CHIPS?
Beyond the Board: Orbital High Ground—Why Space Superiority Is Slipping Away
The Government Circuit: Trump’s Trade War Disrupts the Electronics Ecosystem
RTX's CHIMERA High-Power Microwave System Excels During Three-Week Field Test
January 31, 2024 | RTXEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The Air Force Research Laboratory and Raytheon, an RTX business, have successfully completed a three-week field test of the CHIMERA high-power microwave (HPM) weapon at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. During the test, CHIMERA applied directed energy to multiple static target variations and demonstrated end-to-end fire control by acquiring and tracking aerial targets and maintaining tracking for the entire flight path.
The Counter-Electronic High-Power Microwave Extended-Range Air Base Defense system, known as CHIMERA, was built to fire highly concentrated radio energy at multiple middle-to-long-range targets. The ground-based demonstration system wields more power than other HPM systems to defeat airborne threats at the speed of light.
"High-power microwave systems are cost-effective and reliable solutions that play an important role in layered defense by increasing magazine depth and giving warfighters more options to defeat adversaries quickly," said Colin Whelan, president of Advanced Technology at Raytheon. "The successful test of CHIMERA is a testament to the strong partnership between Raytheon and the AFRL, and our commitment to developing non-kinetic solutions that can counter increasingly sophisticated threats."
CHIMERA is part of the Directed Energy Front-line Electromagnetic Neutralization and Defeat (DEFEND) program, which is a joint service effort to design, build and test HPM systems for front-line deployment. Raytheon is partnering with experts at the AFRL, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division and the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to complete this work.
"This is what the power of government and industry partners can achieve: critical technology that can be inserted in an integrated mission architecture alongside other directed energy tech and kinetics. It is imperative that AFRL, in partnership with industry and academia, continue to innovate and feed these architectures now and in the future," said Dr. Shery Welsh, director, Directed Energy Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Epirus Receives $43.5 Million Contract from U.S. Army for IFPC-HPM Generation II Systems
07/18/2025 | PRNewswireEpirus announced a $43,551,060 contract from the U.S. Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO).
Eaton Signs Agreement to Acquire Resilient Power Systems
07/16/2025 | BUSINESS WIREIntelligent power management company Eaton announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Resilient Power Systems Inc., a leading North American developer and manufacturer of innovative energy solutions, including solid-state transformer-based technology.
Beyond Design: Refining Design Constraints
07/17/2025 | Barry Olney -- Column: Beyond DesignBefore starting any project, it is crucial to develop a thorough plan that encompasses all essential requirements. This ensures that the final product not only aligns with the design concept but is also manufacturable, reliable, and meets performance expectations. High-speed PCB design requires us to not only push technological boundaries but also consider various factors related to higher frequencies, faster transition times, and increased bandwidths during the design process.
Copper Price Surge Raises Alarms for Electronics
07/15/2025 | Global Electronics Association Advocacy and Government Relations TeamThe copper market is experiencing major turbulence in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 50% tariff on imported copper effective Aug. 1. Recent news reports, including from the New York Times, sent U.S. copper futures soaring to record highs, climbing nearly 13% in a single day as manufacturers braced for supply shocks and surging costs.
Global Citizenship: The Global Push for Digital Inclusion
07/16/2025 | Tom Yang -- Column: Global CitizenshipIt can be too easy to take the technology at our fingertips for granted: high-speed internet, cloud-based collaboration, and instant video calls across continents. Yet, for billions of people, access to these digital tools is a distant dream. As a global community, we must ensure that technology is available to all. Here is how technology is bridging physical, economic, and educational gaps in underserved regions and profoundly reshaping lives.