lasers

Rafael unveils Iron Beam 450 laser air defense for DSEI

Iron Beam 450 derives its name from the 450mm aperture of the system.

Army’s laser weapons ‘pretty mature,’ could ‘contribute’ to next-gen missile defense

High-power microwave weapons, however, require more research, according to the head of the Space and Missile Defense Command's Technical Center.

State of Navy’s shipboard laser efforts is embarrassing, says top fleet commander

More Navy leaders as of late have been publicly bemoaning the service's inability to scale functional laser weapon systems.

The Army’s ‘most challenging’ unmanned threat? Group 3 drones

Mid-size, Group 3 drones occupy something of an uncomfortable middle ground between small drones that can be destroyed by self-protection missions and larger drones that are better handled by traditional air defense systems, according to Army Maj. Gen. David Stewart.

Army putting ‘significant … emphasis’ on air and missile defense with looming investments

“We see a lot more demand than we can possibly keep up with, that's one of the reasons … the air defense force is so strained, frequent deployments [and the] significant demand signal to meet hotspots all over the world,” Army Under Secretary Gabe Camarillo told Breaking Defense.

France claims world’s first space-to-earth laser comms

“Others have already demonstrated the proof of concept that a laser link can be established between a satellite and a ground-station but we are proposing an actual product that exists and can be bought off-the-shelf," Jean-Francois Morizur, co-founder and CEO of Cailabs, told Breaking Defense.

Space Development Agency eyes laser link between different contractors’ birds

“I describe PWSA, the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, as the Android model,” said Space Development Agency director Derek Tournear. “If we get vendor lock, if only one works, or if they can't talk to each other, that falls apart pretty quickly.”

‘Mind-boggling’: Israel, Ukraine are mere previews of a much larger Pacific missile war, officials warn

MDA Chief Lt. Gen. Heath Collins said more maneuverable missiles and drones have changed the missile defense game: Instead of just preparing to hit “fastballs,” he said, “now we’re hitting sliders and curveballs.”

Light speed? Officials call for patience on laser weapons while industry begs for bigger buys

A report from NDIA highlights directed-energy suppliers’ struggles to get by on unpredictable “one-off” contracts for prototypes and field tests — but OSD research and acquisition officials warn there are complex tactical questions to work out before they can buy lasers in bulk.

SDA launches 13 more Tranche 0 data relay, missile tracking sats for ‘warfighter immersion’

While SDA plans to use lasers to connect its hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit to each other and to the ground, that technology remains in its infancy.

Laser weapons ‘finally’ seeing ‘real progress,’ Missile Defense Agency official says

"There have been some really impressive results," said MDA Executive Director Laura DeSimone on recent directed energy tests.

Aussie firm jumps in high-energy laser game, aiming for deals down under

Matt Jones, an executive at Electro Optic Systems, told Breaking Defense the company's container-based 36-kilowatt laser is ready to deploy.

HEL in Abu Dhabi: US defense giants Lockheed, Raytheon push laser tech at Middle East arms show

Both firms are exhibiting high-energy lasers (HEL) systems at their stations at IDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi.

Booz Allen Hamilton establishes laser weapon focused ‘HELworks’

It's the company's first business unit focused solely on directed energy.