November 14
Solid Success in Speed-of-Light Weaponry
A laser has blasted to a new energy level, a milestone that picks up the pace for moving them from the lab onto the battlefield.
Northrop Grumman announced November 9 that the company’s solid-state laser being built for the military has fired one of the most powerful beams yet produced by an electric laser.
The advancement stems from a military effort to leap frog speed-of-light technology under the Joint High Power Solid-State Laser (JHPSSL) demonstration program.
The solid-state laser churned out more than 27 kilowatts of energy with a run time of 350 seconds. In a separate test, the company reported that the laser demonstrated “excellent beam quality†at 19 kilowatts power level, showing how well the beam can be focused and thus get to a target. The company’s laser demonstrator could have operated much longer.
“The solid-state technology we’ve demonstrated will serve as the architectural foundation for a whole class of lasers that could be applied throughout much of the U.S. military,†said Alexis Livanos, president of Northrop Grumman's Space Technology sector.
Potential uses of the laser include protective and strike capabilities for ships, piloted and unpiloted aircraft, and ground vehicles. During the past five years, through the Tactical High Energy Laser program executed in conjunction with the U.S. Army, the company has shown the effectiveness of a high-power laser system against a variety of in-flight rockets, artillery and mortars.
The JHPSSL program was funded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense - Joint Technology Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Forget the battlefields, I want POPCORN!
