▲ Fig. 6 Silent Guardian emits a focused beam that heats the water molecules around the
skin’s pain and heat receptors, creating a burning sensation intended to get the aggressor’s
attention and repel them.
against real missiles in field tests. In
2006, Raytheon was awarded a $4.1
M DHS contract to demonstrate the
suitability of the Vigilant Eagle airport protection system to function in
a civilian environment and its ability
to protect aircraft from the threat of
shoulder-fired missiles. Vigilant Eagle uses a simple technique of illuminating the missile body with electromagnetic energy tailored to divert
the missile (see Figure 5). It aims a
focused, precisely steered beam of
electromagnetic energy at a terrorist’s missile, diverting the threat
away from the targeted aircraft. Vigilant Eagle would be installed at airports, rather than on individual aircraft. The system includes a distributed missile detect and track
subsystem (MDT), a command and
control (C2) system and the Active
Electronically Scanned Array
(AESA), which consists of a bill-board-size array of highly efficient
antennae linked to solid-state RF
amplifiers. The electromagnetic
waveforms disrupt the missile and
deflect it away from the aircraft.
Created electromagnetic fields are
well within the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA)
standards for personnel exposure
limits.
tor to distinguish friend from foe in
real-time without having to use
lethal force. Potential applications
include facility and critical asset
protection, riot control, home and
perimeter security, and counter-ter-rorism. The system emits a focused
beam of millimeter-wave energy to
repel individuals without causing
any physical damage. The beam
heats the water molecules around
the skin’s pain and heat receptors
(located 1/64 of an inch under the
skin), creating a burning sensation
intended to get the aggressors’ attention and repel them (see Figure
6). There are legislative and policy
questions that must be answered
before DHS is able to implement
this technology.
CONCLUSION
The passions of invention and
pushing performance, plus the capability and affordability needs of the
government agencies will mold the
next 50 years of RF technology. We
can expect to see the maturation of
emerging RF technologies paired
with our digital, mixed signal and systems cousins that will continue to
provide an exciting portfolio of diverse products and capabilities for
our government customers. ■
SILENT GUARDIAN
Another new application of
military-proven technology is
Raytheon’s directed-energy protection system called Silent Guardian
that employs millimeter-wave energy to stop, delay, deter and turn
back violent aggressors. Silent
Guardian can be utilized from up to
250 meters away against would-be
attackers, while enabling the opera-
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work is supported in part by
the Engineering Research Centers
Program of the National Science
Foundation under NSF award number 0313747. Any opinions, findings,
conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of
the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science
Foundation.
