New Bomber To Focus Heavily On ISR
....The arsenal of this “long-range, ISR/Strike” aircraft may eventually include directed energy and network attack, says Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).
Directed energy weapons under development by the Pentagon include a range of lasers and devices that produce pulses of high-power microwaves. Other non-kinetic capabilities include the attack of enemy sensors with very precise, exotic-waveform jamming and the low-power, electronic invasion of networks that link tactical weapon systems such as advanced air defenses.
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When manned, it increases stability and capability by creating responsiveness to an infinite number [of] options that you may not be able to deal with if it is unmanned.”
Yet Deptula contends that there is a place for a design that can be either manned or unmanned. “Remote operations for a long-range ISR strike platform ought to [have] options for it to be both manned and remotely operated,” he says. “[If] the mission is simple collection of information in a non-hostile environment, remote operation is a way to go.”