High Energy Lasers: A Sensible Choice for Future Weapon Systems?
Authors: Jan Stupl and Götz Neuneck
Volume 1, Number 1 (November 2005), pp. 135-153.
Abstract
The aim of this article is to explore existing and planned military applications of High Energy lasers (HELs). These include ballistic missile defence, anti-satellite purposes and counter-artillery missions. Analysing the military advantages and physical limits of HELs for the battlefield, the article raises major security policy questions such as crisis stability, laser countermeasures, proliferation, logistics and the operational use of different projects. Two US projects, the Airborne Laser and the Tactical High Energy Laser are described in detail.
About the Authors
Jan Stupl is a doctoral scholar at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH), Germany. He holds a degree in physics from the University of Jena. His PhD is a research project that the IFSH conducts in collaboration with the Physics Department of the University of Hamburg and Hamburg Technical University’s Institute of Laser and Systems Technology. jan.stupl@tuhh.de.
Dr. Götz Neuneck is a senior research fellow at the IFSH where he also heads the Interdisciplinary Research Group on Disarmament, Arms Control and Risk Technologies (IFAR). Dr. Neuneck holds a PhD in mathematics from the University of Hamburg and a degree in physics from the University of Düsseldorf. He is a member of the Council of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. At the moment, his research focuses on space weapons, missile defence and nuclear non-proliferation. neuneck@public.uni-hamburg.de.
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