Weapon systems engineering involves using engineering tools in

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

to create and guarantee the safety and performance of weapons. It is currently being used by the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and the government to create new weapons to protect the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is used to make nuclear and non-

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

s and ensure their safety throughout their lifespan.

Companies involved

Many companies help our government and military to manufacture new weapons and strategies. One is Parsons. The Missile Defense Agency, MDA, is a research agency that develops and tests the missile defense agency to defend the United States and its allies. Parsons helps with this through the MDA

missile In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket i ...

contract. They provide missile system support including tests and evaluating the performance. The U.S. Navy awarded multi-million-dollar contracts with Tekla Research and Avian-Precise Co. to support the " Naval Air Systems Command's Systems Engineering Department". Tekla is to help NAVAIR assess

, cost, and design. Avian-Precise is to help the command sustain a weapons system related to all U.S. naval platforms and systems.

Inventions

The electromagnetic railgun launcher is a new long-range weapon using electricity instead of chemicals to launch projectiles.

Projectile A projectile is an object that is propelled by the application of an external force and then moves freely under the influence of gravity and air resistance. Although any objects in motion through space are projectiles, they are commonly found in ...

s can be launched at approximately 4,500 miles per hour using magnetic fields. These new weapons are allowing the military to eliminate

explosives An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...

where possible. It is being used by the Navy as well for its ability to be effective and affordable. The Navy is working on modernizing their weapons, including nuclear weapons. Two weapons on the list to work on creating are a "low-yield warhead for submarine-launched ballistic missiles" and a "nuclear capable submarine-launched cruise missile". The U.S. Army is using Weapons Systems Engineering to help protect our soldiers. They have designed a

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...

to be equipped to contain a gun with an automated tracking system. This would be controlled by another

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

or a computer program. This along with other new systems, vehicles, etc. is all possible because of the new advancements in Weapon Systems Engineering. In May the Army will test out automated Humvee's to certify them as combat ready vehicles. According to the Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) this is the first step toward weaponized robotics. The Army is not looking to make killing machines, but machines controlled by humans. The

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

Research Lab (AFRL) assigned

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

the job of creating "an aircraft-mounted high-power fibre laser". They must make a weapon that is small enough and light enough, but also can be effective. The laser will be mounted on jet fighters with the ability to disable enemies targeting systems.{{Cite news, url=https://www.airforce-technology.com/features/agents-shield-us-air-forces-new-aircraft-mounted-laser-weapon/, title=Agents of SHiELD – the US Air Force’s new aircraft-mounted laser weapon, date=2018-02-19, work=Airforce Technology, access-date=2018-02-24, language=en-GB

References

Military science