A laser developed for military use is a few steps away from hitting a power threshold thought necessary to turn it into a battlefield weapon. The Solid State Heat Capacity Laser (SSHCL) has achieved 67 kilowatts (kW) of average power in the laboratory.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency rolled out an airborne laser aircraft on Friday, the latest development in a missile-defense system that was once ridiculed as a "Star Wars" fantasy.
Israeli defense officials are debating the future of the mobile tactical high energy laser (MTHEL) missile defense program.
The U.S. and Israel have quietly shelved a project to deploy a high-energy laser weapon for missile defense, citing its bulkiness, high costs and poor anticipated results on the battlefield.
A $7.4 billion Boeing Co. project to put a chemical laser on a 747 jet as part of U.S. missile defence efforts could be delayed under an emerging five-year Air Force budget plan, according to a defence official knowledgeable about the program.
Northrop Grumman has developed a laser-based system to shield airports and other installations from rockets, ballistic missiles and other threats.
Northrop Grumman has released a study of the state of the U.S. Defense effort to develop directed-energy weapons. The report also examines the operational implications of their deployment in battle, for missile defense, or in outer space. [ Link to Full Study (PDF, 32pg)]
There is a new breed of weaponry fast approaching—and at the speed of light no less. They are labeled "directed-energy weapons" and may well signal a revolution in military hardware—perhaps more so than the atomic bomb.
A Boeing Co.-led team has successfully fired for the first time a powerful laser meant to fly aboard a modified 747 as part of a U.S. ballistic missile defense shield.
The authors argue for further research and development into directed energy weapons as a way to counter the threat from MANPADs and cruise missiles.