The US currently has the technology to create a long-range neutron beam, former head of the US Army's Space and Missile Defense Command, retired Lieutenant General David Mann, told Breaking Defense.
According to him, the development makes it possible to obtain a narrowly directed flux of neutrons moving about seven times slower than light in a vacuum over a distance of "many kilometers." The installation includes a neutron beam generator, an aiming system and a power source. The total mass of the device is estimated at several quintals.
The highest priority application of the neutron beam is called the detection of nuclear guidance units among the rest (dummies) of multiple warheads of an enemy ballistic missile. The neutron beam, interacting with uranium and plutonium, leads to the generation of gamma radiation, which is subsequently detected by missile defense systems.
The military also adds that the neutron beam, if the generator power is increased, can be used for the targeted elimination of electronic components in enemy equipment, as well as the destruction of the warhead of an enemy missile.
The retired lieutenant general believes that at present there is no longer the question of the fundamental physical feasibility of such a project, and the relevance is only the time frame within which its launch is possible. Mann notes that the US military is already using neutron beams to detect burials of explosives at depths of up to 20 meters.