The changing nature of warfare must be met with new weapons, tactics, and doctrine, which drive transformational approaches to the use of force. XADS seeks to assist in the transformation of US warfighting doctrine by providing not only technology that can be used, but also techniques for usage in today’s combat and peacekeeping scenarios.
A “Trigger to Squeeze":
XADS provides disorienting Threat Assessment Laser Illuminators (TALI) in our Photonic Disruptor product line which can be used to illuminate an area, assess, deter, and preclude an aggressor, stop vehicles, and temporarily incapacitate optic devices. This capability serves to buy time for US forces to take cover, assess the level of threat in a given situation, and gain an advantage in force-on-force conflict. It gives our forces a “trigger to squeeze” when in an unknown threat environment, without risking collateral damage but yet providing effective suppression of a potential threat, long enough to decide on secondary actions, if necessary.
Previous and current tactics, particularly in unknown, mixed-civilian, MOUT scenarios often only give the warfighter the choice of firing lethal bullets, or doing nothing at all. XADS provides a third option, which separates the threat from the innocent, and buys time for decision-making in the chaos of conflict.
Combined Force:
XADS has other systems which produce other non-lethal effects which serve to distract or temporarily disorient and incapacitate threats to US forces with directed energy. Such systems include StunStrike and Screech, which all have different, directed energy solutions to various situational problems.
Combining these weapons into a non-lethal, directed energy defensive array allow for the ability to deal with a larger number of threats more effectively. At this time, there is no “phaser on stun” which can answer every problem at any range. However, taken together, the combination of XADS systems can provide solutions for many scenarios in which non-lethal force is required.
Logistics:
It is said that “good generals study tactics, but great generals study logistics”. The need to re-supply forces on the move is a great burden to the military and the financial infrastructure that runs it.
Directed energy weapons, by definition, require only “energy” to operate. Electricity generation to power these types of weapons requires some minor additional fuel supply, but with some XADS weapons, even this requirement is negated. Directed energy weapons eliminate the need to transport, supply, maintain, and stockpile ammunition, which lightens the logistics burden significantly, in cost, labor, and transportation – all while increasing safety and decreasing vulnerability.
XADS weapon systems are very low-maintenance and are logistically very simple. For example, each of our Photonic Disruptors and Screech ultrasonic disruptors can be fitted with solar-rechargeable batteries, and a charger which can fully charge the batteries in less than two hours of direct sunlight. The batteries can be re-charged hundreds of times. Each charge will give the user over 1500 shots, lasting several days or nights of standard use. With this capability, the need to carry ammunition or even large quantities of spare batteries, into combat is eliminated for these weapons.
XADS systems consume only electricity, which can be derived from solar-rechargeable batteries, automotive-integrated generators, or existing electrical generator infrastructure, whether portable or fixed-position. The systems are built to last, and (if needed) replacement components are small and modular, eliminating the need to carry large volumes of spare parts.
As XADS systems become increasingly versatile, longer-ranged, and portable, the insertion of XADS technology into the US fighting force will help our military become lighter, faster, more effective and less expensive.