That was my understanding as well...
All the more reason to robustly deploy this:
Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL)The Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) is a joint project of the United States and Israel designed to destroy short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, ground- and air-launched rockets, unmanned aerial vehicles, mortar shells, and artillery projectiles. It consists of an advanced radar that detects and tracks incoming rockets, and a high-energy laser beam that destroys them.
Since the early 1980s, Israel has faced a constant threat from Hezbollah guerillas along its northern border. During eighteen years of fighting, the guerrillas wreaked havoc by firing numerous small, unguided Katyusha rockets at Israeli towns. The rockets were fast and low-flying and caused considerable damage. Hezbollah’s attacks were so numerous that Israel could not use interceptor missiles. In addition, since the Katyushas flew on ballistic trajectories and landed on Israeli towns unless completely destroyed, Israel could not deploy advanced machine guns such as those used by U.S. Navy ships against low-flying cruise missiles.
In 1995, the U.S. and Israel decided to address the growing problem of low-flying missiles by developing a high energy laser. The idea was to build a weapons system that could detect and eliminate threats at the speed of light while maintaining a low per-kill cost. Since Hezbollah was launching thousands of rockets, the defense system had to be capable of handling a large volume of attacks. In February 1996, the prototype U.S. high energy laser, known as Nautilus, destroyed a short-range rocket at a test site in New Mexico. It was the first time that a laser had ever destroyed a ballistic missile.
In April 1996, Hezbollah guerrillas fired over two dozen Katyusha rockets at Israel within 17 days. After that, the U.S. and Israel accelerated the high energy laser project, then known as the Tactical High Energy Laser/Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator, or THEL/ACTD. Although Israel has not been attacked since it withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Israeli officials estimate that Hezbollah still has 11,000 Katyushas aimed at border towns.
Once operational, THEL will consist of four main components: a command center, a fire control radar, a pointer-tracker, and the high energy laser itself. The command center, known as Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I), will manage all aspects of the system, including detecting, tracking, and destroying incoming targets within THEL’s range. C3I will be operated by a two-man crew: a commander and a gunner.
Positioned near the hostile zone, the fire control radar will continuously scan the horizon for threats. Once an incoming rocket has been detected, the radar will calculate the target’s trajectory and enable the pointer-tracker to lock on to the target. THEL will be mounted on a large gimbaled assembly that will allow the pointer-tracker to swivel when tracking the rockets.
Once the target is within range, the pointer-tracker will focus THEL’s high-energy deuterium-fluoride (DF) laser beam on the incoming rocket. The DF laser beam is created by mixing fluorine atoms with helium and deuterium to generate DF in an excited state. A resonator extracts the DF and transforms it into a beam of coherent, monochromatic light.
The beam itself is only a few inches in diameter, but is powerful enough to heat steel at 200 yards or more. The pointer-tracker will keep the laser beam focused on the incoming rocket until the intense heat causes the warhead to explode. Debris from the blast will fall short of the rocket’s intended target, thus effectively neutralizing the threat. Once deployed, THEL will be capable of firing 60 shots before reloading. The system will operate at a per-kill cost of approximately $3,000, making it one of the most inexpensive anti-missile systems in existence.
In 2002, Northrop Grumman acquired TRW, the company that had been in charge of THEL up to that point. Northrop Grumman currently manages the system’s development and testing. Other U.S. contractors include Ball Aerospace and Brashear LP, while Israeli partners include Electro-Optic Industries, Israel Aircraft Industries, Yehud Industrial Zone, RAFAEL, and Tadiran.
To date, THEL has destroyed 28 Katyusha test rockets and five test artillery shells. On May 4, 2004, THEL’s new transportable version, known as the Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL), tracked and destroyed a large-caliber test rocket at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Ranch in New Mexico. The rocket flew faster and higher than the Katyushas, and carried a live warhead. The U.S. and Israel expect MTHEL to be operational and ready for deployment by 2007.
Sources
Robert K. Ackerman, “Mobile Laser Offers Tactical Defense,” Signal, Volume 58, Issue 3, November 1, 2003.The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise Website, “The Tactical High Energy Laser.”
Defense Update Website, “Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) Program”
Federation of American Scientists Website, “Tactical High Energy Laser ACTD”
Federation of American Scientists Website, “Tactical High Energy Laser Program Is Alive and Well.”
Kerry Gildea, “Zapping Short-range Threats,” The Spectrum Online, November 7, 2002.
“Israel, U.S. Test Laser That Can Knock Down Rockets,” Dow Jones International News, October 29, 2003.
Kathy Kincade, “Military Moves Forward With MTHEL Project,” Optoelectronics Report, Volume 11, Issue 7, April 1, 2004
Northrop Grumman Website, “Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser”
Northrop Grumman Capitol Source Website, “Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser”
Northrop Grumman Capitol Source Website, “U.S. Army Selects Northrop Grumman Design Concept for Mobile High-Energy Laser Weapon for Tactical Missile Defense,” Press Release, August 21, 2003.
Northrop Grumman Press Release, “Northrop Grumman-Built High-Energy Laser Destroys Large-Caliber Rocket in History-Making Test: Shootdown Shows MTHEL’s Potential Versatility Against Increasing Range of Battlefield Threats,” May 6, 2004.
Ann Roosevelt, “Laser Weapon System Work Could Start This Summer,” Defense Daily, Vol. 221, Issue 44, March 10, 2004.
Marc Selinger “Army Poised To Award MTHEL Contract To NG,” Aerospace Daily, Volume 208, No. 47, December 8, 2003.
Marc Selinger, “Laser To Target Large-caliber Rockets For First Time, U.S. Army Says, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, Volume 210 , No. 21, April 29, 2004.
Arieh O’Sullivan, “US-Israeli Laser Test Partially Successful,” The Jerusalem Post, May 2, 2004.
Jim Wilson, “Beyond Bullets: The Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser Has Scored 3 Array Kills, Including 26 Katyusha Rockets,” Popular Mechanics Website.
