Raytheon Missile Systems may have a solution to two of the Pentagon's main stumbling blocks—building militarily effective weapons that do not jeopardize civilians and placing new defense products into service without years of delay from a stunningly bureaucratic acquisition system. With a key purchase, the company has expanded its potential to quickly develop and field a wide range of directed-energy warheads—primarily designed to destroy enemy electronics—for use on its catalog of air-to-ground, air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. Operationally, these non-explosive devices could solve multiple problems facing the U.S. military. They have the potential to avoid inflicting needless casualties, to measure the effects of directed-energy attack and to overcome anti-access and denied-airspace defenses. The last, already being fielded around the world, include medium-range ballistic missiles targeted against ships, anti-satellite weapons, advanced air defenses or cyber- and information-attack devices.
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