A DE M-SHORAD (Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense) prototype in motion. (U.S. Army/Jim Kendall)
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Tests of high-energy lasers against drones in the Middle East are sparking a new round of prototype development in the U.S. Army, two senior military leaders said, with an eye toward better sustainability and possibly a lower power class for smaller vehicles and robots.
This year, the service has tested a range of energy weapons in the US Central Command region, including A 50-kilowatt laser synchronized on Strykers The led energy maneuvers short-range air defense (DE M-SHORAD) prototype and A 20 kilowatts Palletized High Energy Laser (P-HEL). While the service has remained relatively silent about the soldiers’ feedback, it has announced challenges with the Stryker-based weapon and is driving a competition for a new vehicle-based prototype.
“We have worked with industry to increase the reliability of a number of these systems,” Lt. Gen. Robert Rasch, director of the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), told Breaking Defense on August 8:
“Based on what we have seen and data we have collected, we believe the long-duration, high-energy laser industry is ready to produce systems that achieve the reliability and affordability levels required to move into the Group One through Three unmanned aerial systems (UAS) space,” the three-star general added.
The service is currently collecting industry white papers for this new project and, if it secures sufficient funding, will conduct a “competitive” prototyping phase in fiscal year 2025 before selecting the final winner in fiscal year 2026, Rasch said.
As for what exactly the service is looking for, Rash said it is not required that options be fitted to a specific vehicle, but companies are encouraged to Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) for prototyping efforts.
“We want to have the ability to place lasers on a variety of platforms (and) JLTV is a great example of one that is ubiquitous in the force,” Rasch said. “We also want to be able to take that off and place it on the ground for a FOB (forward operating base)-like event.”
A future option, he added, would be to attach such a laser to unmanned ground vehicles such as the Robot combat vehicle (Name confirmation).
“Is there a concrete program plan for this at the moment? No, but that is the future,” said Rasch. “With the RCV that we have today, (and) the (Transport of small multi-purpose devices) S-MET that we have today, the amount of energy required for this laser would definitely pose some challenges. But it is not impossible and I believe it will definitely be impossible in the future.”
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As for the laser itself, the service is keeping its performance options open and instead focusing on its fluence – a measure of The amount of energy delivered per unit is reduced to a minimum, with the focus also being on ease of maintenance in the area of application.
“When I talk about maintenance, I mean the ability to perform maintenance on laser systems. Given the dust and dirt, a sterile environment must currently be present,” The head of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, told reporters on August 6.
“Instead of taking your (a smaller) part out… maybe just replace the whole part so you don’t have to take it into a clean room… that’s the real sustainability aspect,” he added.
As for the field of competition, a wide range of companies already competing in the field of managed energy are expected to apply for a place in the program. This list includes BlueHalo, which has delivered several P-HELs to the service.
Jimmy Jenkins, the company’s president of the armed forces portfolio, told Breaking Defense that he believes a 20- to 30-kilowatt-class laser will likely be the sweet spot for the competition, and his company is already working on developing more modular parts.
“For some components, like optics, you still need a clean room,” he added. But for other components, “we’ve made changes and they can be done right on the front line.”
