Lockheed Martin demos 50kW anti-aircraft frickin' laser beam
- Reference: 1674721629
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/01/26/lockheed_martin_lights_up_50kw/
- Source link:
The 50kW-class Directed Energy Interceptor for Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense System, referred to as DEIMOS among those who'd rather not repeat that entire description every time the subject arises, is expected to be integrated, eventually, into a [1]Stryker combat vehicle.
DEIMOS is intended for M-SHORAD, which for those not keeping up on military acronyms is a reference to the US Army's maneuver-short range air defense mission. Think armored vehicles moving about and firing laser beams at threats in the sky.
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Tanks very much ... How Lockheed Martin imagines its laser-firing DEIMOS might look (Click to enlarge)
Last February, Lockeed Martin and the US Office of Naval Research showed that this might be a feasible scenario when [3]a fixed laser battery took out a surrogate cruise missile – really, it was a plane acting the part of a cruise missile.
Rick Cordaro, VP of Lockheed Martin Advanced Product Solutions, [4]described DEIMOS as another important way in which Lockheed Martin can provide the US Army with layered air defense capabilities.
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"DEIMOS has been tailored from our prior laser weapon successes to affordably meet the Army's larger modernization strategy for air and missile defense and to improve mission success with 21st Century Security solutions," he said.
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The US Army [8]reportedly had hoped to move the program from the lab into the field by this year, but it looks like that will have to wait until 2025 or so.
According to a July 23, 2020 Congressional Research Service (CRS) [9]report [PDF], SHORAD units were historically embedded within army units to defend against planes and helicopters, but were shifted to the Air Force two decades ago.
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Since 2005, however, the proliferation of drones and precision missile and artillery systems in conflict zones has revived concerns about troop vulnerability, and has prompted the Army to revisit its SHORAD capabilities. Anyone who has seen video from the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine of [11]soldiers stalked by drones and loitering munitions should recognize why more sophisticated tactical air defense options are being explored.
The Defense Department's [12]2022 National Defense Strategy [PDF] and the House Armed Services Committee’s bipartisan Future of Defense Task Force Report have both identified directed energy weapons as a national security interest, a [13]November 14, 2022 CRS report [PDF] explains.
Consequently, quite a bit of cash has been sought for developing directed energy weapons – in FY2023, the Pentagon asked for at least $669 million for unclassified directed energy weapon development and at last $345 million for unclassified directed energy weapon procurement.
[14]US Air Force tests its first fully functional hypersonic missile
[15]US military's latest toy set: Record-breaking laser death star, er, truck
[16]Pentagon in uproar: 'China's lasers' make US pilots shake in Djibouti
[17]America's nuclear fusion 'breakthrough' is super-hot ... yet far from practical
One rationale for such spending is that directed energy weapons – we're talking high-energy lasers (HELs) and high-powered microwave (HPM) systems but not more speculative projects involving [18]particle beams – could cost less to fire than kinetic weapons and wouldn't require reloading.
During his brief time as Prime Minister of Israel, Naftali Bennett last year claimed that the nation's Iron Beam laser interception system successfully shot down a missile, [19]at a cost of $3.50 per shot . That's significantly less expensive than the PAC-3 missiles used in the Patriot air defense system, which [20]cost $4 million a piece .
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Cost-per-shot figures based on sustained deployment in a war zone will have to wait until these weapons mature and it's clear just how many tons of batteries or other fuel sources have to be hauled about to make them functional for some specified period of time, not to mention staffing and maintenance.
The 2022 CRS report noted that while there's no consensus on the power levels required to take out specific targets, analysts have estimated that a 100kW laser would be required to neutralize drones, small boats, artillery, and mortars while it would take about 300kW to disable a cruise missile and about 1MW to destroy ballistic missiles and hypersonic weapons.
Last September, Lockheed Martin [22]announced it can provide a 300kW laser for laboratory and field testing.
Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ®
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[1] https://asc.army.mil/web/portfolio-item/gcs-stryker-family-of-vehicles/
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2023/01/25/lockheed_martin.jpg
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT3wjK9Jj6Q
[4] https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2023-01-23-Lockheed-Martin-Achieves-First-Light-In-Latest-Laser-Lab-Demonstration
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y9JdTvfMfAlIQFE32a3aYgAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y9JdTvfMfAlIQFE32a3aYgAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y9JdTvfMfAlIQFE32a3aYgAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/ausa/2022/10/14/shorad-laser-weapon-will-stay-in-development-phase-longer-than-planned/
[9] https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46463/2
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y9JdTvfMfAlIQFE32a3aYgAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XDsR7O4fBw
[12] https://media.defense.gov/2022/Oct/27/2003103845/-1/-1/1/2022-NATIONAL-DEFENSE-STRATEGY-NPR-MDR.PDF
[13] https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11882
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/14/usaf_first_hypersonic_missile/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2017/03/17/us_military_gets_truckmounted_lasers/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2018/05/04/china_laser_attack_djibouti/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/14/nuclear_fusion_doe/
[18] https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/27039/budget-docs-show-pentagon-aims-to-loft-particle-beam-anti-missile-weapon-into-space-in-four-years
[19] https://twitter.com/naftalibennett/status/1514661060011245571
[20] https://www.npr.org/2022/12/21/1144662505/us-ukraine-patriot-missile-system
[21] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y9JdTvfMfAlIQFE32a3aYgAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[22] https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2022-09-15-Lockheed-Martin-Delivers-Its-Highest-Powered-Laser-to-Date-to-US-Department-of-Defense
[23] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
I work with some of the most efficient lasers (although only a kW or so) and they are 20-25% efficient 'at the plug'. Some exotic lasers are only 1-5%. The power measurements are also generally averaged so peak input power could be hundreds of kW. It likely has a large energy storage system to smooth out the demand.
Obviously very few details about how it works.
Power or energy?
Surely the energy of a laser is only measured in Watts when it is continuous. Otherwise the energy in a laser pulse would be measured in Joules.
It would be illuminating
Re: Power or energy?
To make life easier for the sales people and those that don't understand area under the curve our pulsed lasers are still measured in 'average watts'. Its a bit iffy. I used to work for an RF company and we made MIMO radios and marketing sold them based on the combined wattage of every TX channel 'cos it made number more bigger'.
Should be able to fry a drone easily.
That would be very useful at present.
Thick aerosols, and ablative armour would offer resistance to such capability.
It could be called Laser C ounter-attack U nified N eutralisation T echnology S ystem
Frikkin Lasers
If someone doesn't develop an armoured vehicle called "Shark" so we can have a shark with frikkin lasers I'll be very disappointed
Re: Frikkin Lasers
I am laying claim to the following:
SHort Attack Range Kilowatt Laser - SHARK Laser
I will happily license this name to anyone who wants to build one. ;)
Re: Frikkin Lasers
Well, I already have a CHARM Laser .
The C o H erent A ttack R ange M egawatt Laser. It will obliterate your puny shark laser.
Re: Frikkin Lasers
so we can have a shark with frikkin lasers
You want a Shark with F.R.I.K.K.I.N lasers?
F ocused R adiation I mpulse K ilowatt K inetic I nterdiction N eutraliser
Dr. Evil would be pleased...
Does that work in a foggy weather?
No, but I think that would probably stop the small drone threat as well. Missiles and artillery shells not so much.
DEIMOS
"Directed Energy Interceptor for Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense System"
OK, I can see DEIM, but it looks like they gave up on a proper backronym after that. 5/10, must try harder.
Stryker
"They can't be lost. They are on instruments"
Mirrors?
... and as a countermeasure, missiles will be painted in a mirror finish and drones come dressed as disco balls.
Re: Mirrors?
Mirrors aren't 100% reflective, and their reflectivity is dependant on the wavelength of light. This means that as a worst case scenario, for a short period of time, *if* the target has a mirror specially tailored to reflect your laser wavelength well, you will only be putting (say) 1% of your laser energy into the target. Absorption is very likely to increase as the surface temperature increases beyond a certain point, so your laser beam will get absorbed once you've held it on target for a short time and heated up the surface, at which point the mirror will be melted.
However.... if you chose your laser wavelength correctly, it will be *very* difficult to engineer a missile that has a reflective surface that will survive the environments the target missile will be subjected to. (Hot due to air friction after launch, plus needs to be able to survive moisture, hail, very cold and very hot ambient storage temperatures, etc.)
Don't
shine it at the cats.
I'll get my coat.
Re: Don't
This is 'Murica you're talking about, where folks have used miniguns for "hunting".
Being a Brit I can hardly criticise our illustrious history of seeking out delicious rare species and exterminating them; albeit not nearly with so much lead.
Been there, done that
Didn't they demonstrate this a few years ago? Potentially useful against balsawood gliders flying at no more than five knots, not so useful against anything bigger/faster/stronger.
Good ol' US of A... Why waste effort on technology when you can make so much more money through marketing, eh?
Dating, military style
> when a fixed laser battery took out a surrogate cruise missile
I hope they had a very nice evening together
Re: Dating, military style
It went great until the battery drank too much and went flat....
Must contain a pew-pew sound generator!
I’m surprised laser countermeasures aren’t being widely discussed. The gimmick with lasers that if you can acquire a target, you have hit it. Thick aerosols, and ablative armour would offer resistance to such capability.
50kW is well within ability for a vehicle to deliver with a bog standard engine so I’d imagine progress here to be rapid.