FUTURISTIC WEAPONRY TO THE FORE

While the true capability of hypersonic missiles and other futuristic weapons technologies may currently lag the hype there is no reason to believe it will always be so

- JOSEPH NORONHA

IF YOU THOUGHT THE WORLD'S MAJOR NATIONS WERE BUSY fighting the COVID-19 pandemic or climate change these past few years, think again. Behind the scenes they have been embroiled in some deadly new arms races ranging from hypersonic weapons to autonomous drone swarms to directed energy weapons (DEW). And perhaps many more. These races are even more fast and furious than the 20th century rivalries featuring nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) weapons.

At that time thankfully saner counsel prevailed. World leaders realised that weapons of mass destruction (WMD) could threaten the very survival of humanity, and they were controlled to some extent by international treaties and agreements. But it is hard to see how the current contests can be curbed. 

Some futuristic weapons are still in the concept stage or in early development, while others are already deployed or are nearing maturity. Here we will consider three new types of weapons that have been used in combat or are close to that stage.

• Hypersonic Missiles: Missiles that can fly long distances at greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5) while retaining the ability to manoeuvre during the entire flight trajectory.

• Drone Swarms: Large numbers of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) dispatched simultaneously for a variety of missions, such as surveillance, bombing, or electronic warfare. Drone swarms are growing increasingly autonomous or capable of operating without human intervention.

• Directed-Energy Weapons (DEW): Potentially very powerful and accurate weapons that generate a focused beam of electromagnetic energy to degrade, damage or destroy targets.