Lockheed Martin is developing the DEIMOS laser weapon system for a future Army competition. (Lockheed Martin)

WASHINGTON: Lockheed Martin is building a new laser weapon for Stryker combat vehicles in anticipation for a future competition for the US Army’s short range air defense system, the company announced Monday.

Lockheed is designing a 50 kilowatt laser called DEIMOS, short for Directed Energy Interceptor for Maneuver of Short Range Air Defense, said Tyler Griffin, Lockheed’s director of laser and sensor systems.

“We see a competition for a program of record on the horizon. The [Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office] and [Program Executive Office] Missiles and Space have been very clear about that,” he said, adding that the competition could occur as early as 2023.

Lockheed hopes to unseat an incumbent team of Raytheon and Kord Technologies, which received a $123.9 million contract this summer to build a Directed Energy Maneuver Short Range Air Defense system (DE M-SHORAD) from the Army after their prototype completed a shoot out earlier this year.

Under that contract, the companies are tasked to build three additional laser systems that will be integrated onboard Stryker vehicles — enough for the Army to field its first platoon of four laser-equipped Strykers. Raytheon is developing the 50 kilowatt laser, while Kord is the systems integrator and developing the power management and cooling system.

When the RCCTO hands off threshold requirements and technical data to PEO Missiles in Space in FY23, Lockheed executives believe the Army will open up another round of competition, Griffin said.

Lockheed intends to differentiate DEIMOS with an emphasis on affordability — not just the price of the system, but the cost-per-kill and maintenance of the system, Griffin said.

“What we’re looking at, from a Lockheed Martin perspective, is looking for best of breed technologies, many of which we can reuse from [other Lockheed laser technology programs],” he said. “But also extending that into Army radar components and, in the end, having an optimal combination of schedule, affordability, and low risk throughout the entire lifecycle.”

Lockheed plans to builds a “digital twin” of DEIMOS that will act as an exact virtual replica of the system, allowing for modifications and improvements of the system to be developed and tested more quickly.

Its work on other directed energy programs — such as the Indirect Fires Protection Capability – High Energy Laser it’s building with Dynetics for the Army — could also give the company an advantage in managing the size, weight, power and cooling of the system.

Lockheed aims to have development of the DEIMOS digital twin finished by the end of 2021 and begin field demonstrations by the end of 2022, Griffin said.

Besides Raytheon, Lockheed could also face off with Northrop Grumman for a future DE M-SHORAD contract.

Northrop was competing against Raytheon for the RCCT effort but withdrew from the shootout after its directed energy system malfunctioned multiple times during tests, at once point breaking into a fire that damaged the laser and other hardware, Defense News reported in August.