US Patent 7126530 Non-coherent high-power directed-energy system and method

A directed-energy system includes a plurality of non-coherent microwave sources and a plurality of antennas. Each antenna may be coupled to a corresponding one or more of the sources to radiate energy from the sources and cumulatively generate high-energy pulses based on statistical combining of the energy radiated from the antennas. The pulses may statistically occur at an average rate approximately equal to a frequency spread between the sources divided by twice a number of sources comprising the plurality. In some embodiments, the sources may separately generate horizontally and vertically polarized energy to separately generate high-energy pulses from the statistical combining of the horizontally and vertically polarized energy. In some embodiments, the frequency spread between the sources may be controlled to change the average rate at which the pulses statistically occur. In some embodiments, the frequency spread between the sources may be controlled to change a pulse-width of the pulses. In some embodiments, gimbals may be used to control the direction of the energy.