The Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate is seeking partners for the High Power Electromagnetics (HPEM) Empirical Effects project. HPEM will perform vulnerability testing on several electronic systems to help determine the effectiveness of potential high-power electromagnetic weapons. HPEM is part of the Air Force’s High Power Electromagnetics Modeling and Effects program. Electromagnetic warfare weapons are intended to destroy or disable enemy electronics, improvised explosive devices, unmanned aircraft, and similar systems.
HPEM will seek to discover a waveform for an effective electromagnetic weapon that is small in size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP). That weapon will be used to help validate modeling tools and techniques.
The project will include capturing effects and waveform data, identifying new targets, developing surrogate electronic systems for testing, purchasing representative electronic subsystems, developing fault trees, building probability of effect curves for the electronic subsystems, and planning outdoor effects tests to characterize electromagnetic weapon effectiveness.
The HPEM Empirical Effects project will also examine how to predict the effectiveness of HPEM waveforms by developing and testing emerging technologies to collect vulnerability data. The vulnerability data consists of the likelihood of destruction or disruption of enemy electronics when subjected to high-power electromagnetic energy. That work will include performing effectiveness modeling, characterizing collateral damage, developing recuperation time models, and performing trade studies to compare different HPEM weapons.
The project is expected to provide information to develop, identify, and integrate new and existing software and hardware for battle damage assessment and recuperation time, and battle damage indicators for an HPEM engagement.