The US Coast Guard plans to work with Lockheed Martin to develop a craft-mounted high-power microwave effector to counter smuggling vessels.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) plans to work with Lockheed Martin to develop a craft-mounted high-power microwave (HPM) effector to counter small, fast-moving smuggling vessels.
The effort aims to address capability gaps in countering agile small vessels — such as jet skis and uncrewed surface vessels — that are frequently used for drug and human trafficking operations and are difficult to pursue using the USCG’s 33-foot (10-meter) craft.
The HPM weapon aims to immobilize non-compliant vessels at range using focused electromagnetic bursts to disrupt or damage onboard electronics, shutting down engines and bringing them to a stop.
Modification of HPM Systems
Current HPM technologies, however, have significant size, weight, and power requirements that limit their deployment on smaller craft. Moreover, jet skis are particularly difficult to target using existing HPM systems because their engines are enclosed within the craft.
The USCG effort seeks to overcome these constraints through modifications that would enable integration of the effector onto small boats and personal watercraft.
“Under the proposed CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement), the US Coast Guard Research and Development Center (R&D Center) will collaborate with one non-Federal participant,” a USCG notice stated.
“Together, the R&D Center and the non-Federal participant will model physical changes to the HPM effector to ensure that its changes will produce effects desired by both parties. If the model provides positive results, modification to the physical system will be performed," it added.
The modified system will then be evaluated across multiple environments, including an anechoic chamber, testing pool, and pier-side settings, in both standalone and vessel-integrated configurations.
Tests will be conducted against target types relevant to Coast Guard operations, including personal watercraft, outboard-engine vessels, and small unmanned surface vehicles.
Contactless Vessel Stopping Capability
In parallel, the R&D Center, along with the Science and Technology Directorate and the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, is developing a vessel that uses the HPM as its effector.
Called the Contactless Vessel Stopping Capability (CVSC) craft, the prototype utilizes highly energized radio-frequency pulses to overwhelm the electronic circuits of a targeted vessel.
According to the developers, the craft is specifically being designed to intercept vessels that are difficult to target using current HPM systems.
“There are microwave transmitters that can stop a large vessel,” S&T Maritime and Immigration Security Solutions Program Manager Anthony Caracciolo said, “with engines mounted on the back.”
The microwave transmitter can be placed on the front of the pursuing boat for a direct line-of-sight engagement.
“But jet skis are different. The small engine is inside of the craft, and the operator is blocking it with their body. CVSC is designed to be effective in those challenging conditions,” Caracciolo added.
