The US Air Force is clearly serious about combatting the growing threat of small drones deployed for terrorism or hostile military purposes. It has not only developed a weapon capable of taking out scores of drones simultaneously, but it has even named that mighty asset after a fearsome, hammer-wielding Norse god-dash-superhero.
THOR takes out hundreds of enemy drones at once
Earlier this month, the Air Force unveiled its Tactical High Power Operational Responder – aka THOR – which is designed to instantly neutralize multiple attacking drones, including enemy swarms. Developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the electromagnetic weapon has successfully zapped hundreds of hostile uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) in test battles. Once approaching craft is identified, THOR generates a powerful microwave field that wrecks the internal electronics systems of enemy drones before that can get too near. In that way, belligerent swarms become little mounds of…
