The U.S. Navy's next laser weapon will break new ground for high-energy lasers. The Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a US $150 million contract to develop, build, and deliver two copies of a new laser weapon for use on destroyers.
The new laser weapon system is called the High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-dazzler with Surveillance (HELIOS) system for the way it integrates three distinct capabilities.
One is a high-energy laser that the Navy has specified should generate 60 to 150 kilowatts of steady power, enough to disable or destroy small boats or hostile drones (called "unmanned aerial systems" by the military).
Another is using the associated optical system to gather intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance information about an extended area around the ship, which it will share with the powerful radar-based Aegis Combat System that is standard in a certain class of Navy destroyers.
A third capability is to dazzle or confuse sensors and cameras on drones—but not to destroy them—with light from a lower-power laser, like a "stun" setting for robots on a Star Trek phaser.
I assume it will be one of our renovated or new Burke-class ships. A few years ago I noted that ships of the class were being fitted with extra electrical generating capacity. I basically mocked the notion that this was a "green" initiative to gain sailing time:
But unless I'm way off, the reason for adding electrical generating power is to allow the hull to evolve for future systems that will gobble electricity far in excess of the ship's design.
My understanding of a drawback of our decision to simply build more Burke class ships rather than the new DD-1000 (aka Zumwalt, DDG-1000 , or DD(X) way back) is that the latter generates electric power for systems under development while the Burke destroyers can't do that, limiting their growth potential.
So adding electric power allows the ship to be updated with new energy-hungry systems.
And now the laser arrives by 2020. If a Prius had that, I might buy one!
And I will note, as I try to remember to do when the story is about Lockheed Martin, I have a small amount of Lockheed stock. Not that it affects my interest or writing, but there you go.
UPDATE: Huh:
The Navy is canceling a program to install fuel-efficient hybrid electric drives in 34 destroyers, leaving only one destroyer with the technology, the Navy confirmed in a statement.
Citing “department priorities,” the service requested $6.3 million for 2018 to finish the installation on the destroyer Truxtun, but has zeroed out funding in 2019 and in the out years.
Truxton will be a test-bed for new technology, which I assume means the laser at this point. Honestly, I just don't buy that this program was for the purpose of fuel efficiency.
I assume this means nobody in the Navy is expecting this new technology to pay off any time soon to justify having 34 destroyers ready to power up new technology. Pity.
Although I trust the Navy figures it would have time to make the alterations in the future but that it could use the money for more immediate needs in the meantime.
