Posted on 07/11/2022 5:04:28 PM PDT by RomanSoldier19
The Air Force Research Laboratory took delivery earlier this year of a compact, ruggedized laser developed for potential use as a defensive weapon on fighter aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin which claims the new airborne laser is the smallest, lightest, high-energy laser of its power level built to date.
The company, in an announcement timed to generate interest in advance of the Farnborough Air Show, said it had completed factory acceptance testing and delivered its low-SWaP (size, weight and power) airborne laser to the government during the first quarter of 2022.
“It is the smallest lightest, high-energy laser of its power class that Lockheed Martin has built to date,” Tyler Griffin, the company’s director of Advanced Product Solutions strategy and business development, told reporters. “It is a critical benchmark in developing operational laser weapon systems in the airborne domain.”
(Excerpt) Read more at insidedefense.com ...
Possibly related video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLav0zMHut8
Perfectly sized to fit in the fan bay of the F-35B ?
Good work!
They’ll have to build the plane around it, akin to an A-10.
Will my cats like it?
I’d guess development is much farther along than this article indicates, as it is known that Lockheed and Israel’s Rafael have been cooperating on newest laser types.
https://nypost.com/2020/02/12/watch-israels-wild-new-laser-weapon-shoot-drones-out-of-sky/
So just cover your missiles with heat resistant mirrors.
“They’ll have to build the plane around it, akin to an A-10.”
No, these are fairly small. The plane will have to generate enough electricity to power it, though.
One goal from several years ago was to have a pylon-mounted 300 KW laser for the F-35.
That would be the best way. However, the fan bay of the STOVAL version of JSF, with it’s unique power take off for the lift fan to power the system , is actually potentially configurable for a directed energy weapon. There were proposals being kicked around around in the mid 2000s to give it a go.
China and Russia both have likely already garnered the design blue prints, with Jobama’s help of course
The new laser weapons are solid state, much smaller, more durable and require much less energy. Even mounted on small planes.
https://m.jpost.com/israel-news/israel-successfully-downs-targets-using-airborne-laser-system-671638
They will look like a disco ball.
That’s the enabling technology. Good power gen capability is useful for a practical and effective system and also for rate of fire in this application. Stars are definitely aligning for a deployable system in reasonably near term.
Someone else claims this laser is chemically generated. I don’t know which is correct.
It fits in a normal-sized pod mounted to a pylon.
Solid state. Chem lasers are a generation out of date. Too slow, bulky, fragile and energy-consuming.
I did a plant tour of the LM F-35 line 4-5 years ago. At that time there was “stuff” stashed into a corner that seemed hint at them doing something else with the 10,000 shaft HP coming off the front of the motor instead of powering the B’s Lift fan.
That is a 7.5 Megawatts of Power.
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