Posted on 02/23/2010 4:55:14 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The solid-state laser system from Northrop Grumman, that produced the most powerful beam ever from a continuous wave electric laser last year, is joining other pioneering speed-of-light weapons demonstrators for field tests at the Army's High Energy Laser System Test Facility (HELSTF), N.M. In cooperation with the U.S. Army's Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, which operates the test range at White Sands Missile Range in southeastern New Mexico, BAE Systems has contracted with Northrop Grumman to relocate the Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) Phase 3 system from the company's laser factory in Redondo Beach, Calif., to HELSTF. Field testing is expected to begin this year.
This laser will be integrated with the beam control and command and control systems from another Northrop Grumman-built system, the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL), to provide the Army with the world's first high-power, Solid State Laser Testbed Experiment (SSLTE).
"Northrop Grumman will have a lead role in integrating and operating the Army's solid-state laser test bed," said Steve Hixson, vice president of Advanced Concepts - Space and Directed Energy Systems for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.
"We bring substantial expertise to this project from our many years of experience building and demonstrating tactically-relevant laser systems."
The SSLTE will be used to evaluate the capability of a 100kW-class solid-state laser to accomplish a variety of missions. Those results will be the basis for directing future development of solid-state lasers as a weapon system.
"Solid-state lasers have achieved militarily useful power levels and packaging densities," said Dan Wildt, vice president of Directed Energy Systems.
(Excerpt) Read more at spacedaily.com ...
COOL!
Great news. I had read a couple of years ago that laser developers had gotten the power up to 10kw, but this is 10 times as much and has enough power to bring down missiles.
"I'd like a phased-plasma pulse rifle in the 40-watt range.""Hey, just what you see, pal."
Phasers on ........
it takes 400 Gigawatts to collapse the shields of a Galaxy class ship.
Where did you get that from? I don’t ever remember reading that?
A Husnock ship hit the Enterprise D and Worf said that it was 400gb of particle energy and 66 injured then they turned tail and ran.
I would like a concealed carry version.
Ah, the ep where an entire planet was destroyed except the plot where an alien and his wife lived.
And I'm OK with that.
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