The Department of Defense wants $304 million to fund research on space-based weaponry, including laser beams and neutral particle beams, following reports China and Russia are developing capabilities to threaten the U.S.'s preeminent position, Defense One reports.
The neutral particle beams would be used to disrupt missiles with streams of subatomic particles traveling close to light speed. Lasers, whose photons travel at light speed, would be utilized in the same capacity.
Officials, though, say the explorative studies do not mean much just yet.
"I can't say that it is going to be at a space and weight requirement that's going to actually be feasible, but we're pushing forward with the prototyping and demo," an official told Defense One.
The exploration "means we need to understand as a department, the costs and what it would take to go do that. There's a lot of folklore . . . that says it's either crazy expensive or that it's free. It needs to be a definitive study."
A Pentagon report published in February said China and Russia were developing lasers that could target and destroy U.S. satellites.
"China and Russia, in particular, are developing a variety of means to exploit perceived U.S. reliance on space-based systems and challenge the U.S. position in space," the Defense Intelligence Agency report said.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.