Energia-aseet: laser ym.

[Leaderwolf]

Lockheed-Dynetics team and Raytheon locked in battle to build 100-kilowatt laser for US Army

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Raytheon and a Lockheed Martin-Dynetics team are now locked in a head-to-head battle to build a powerful 100-kilowatt laser for the U.S. Army, pushing the envelope on directed-energy capability development.
And the Army is moving full-speed ahead with plans to select one winner to integrate its laser system onto the Family of Medium-Tactical Vehicles, or FMTV, in early 2019.

https://www.defensenews.com/digital...ttle-to-build-100-kilowatt-laser-for-us-army/

 

[ctg]

Aika heikolta näyttää TAn suhteen laservehkeilyt, vaikka jos laserTAkivääriin saataisiin enemmän tehoa kuin 1 watti taikka 100. Luulen että kivääriluokassa aikaa vierähtää useampia tovi ennenkuin sellainen on edes varteenotettava demottavaksi.

 

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This may come as a shock, but some of those hot screaming deals on China-sourced gadgets and goodies are not all they appear. After you plunk down your pittance and wait a few weeks for the package to arrive, you just might find that you didn’t get exactly what you thought you ordered. Or worse, you may get a product with unwanted bugs features, like some green lasers that also emit strongly in the infrared wavelengths.

Sure, getting a free death ray in addition to your green laser sounds like a bargain, but as [Brainiac75] points out, it actually represents a dangerous situation. He knows whereof he speaks, having done a thorough exploration of a wide range of cheap (and not so cheap) lasers in the video below. He explains that the paradox of an ostensibly monochromatic source emitting two distinct wavelengths comes from the IR laser at the heart of the diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) laser inside the pointer. The process is only about 48% efficient, meaning that IR leaks out along with the green light. The better quality DPSS laser pointers include a quality IR filter to remove it; cheaper ones often fail to include this essential safety feature. What wavelengths you’re working with are critical to protecting your eyes; indeed, the first viewer comment in the video is from someone who seared his retina with a cheap green laser while wearing goggles only meant to block the higher frequency light.

https://hackaday.com/2018/08/31/science-shows-green-lasers-might-be-more-than-you-bargained-for/

 

[ctg]

Doctors and scientists increasingly suspect attacks with unconventional microwave weapons as the cause of the mysterious ailments that have stricken more than three dozen American diplomats and their families in Cuba and China, The New York Times reported Sunday.

The victims reported hearing intense high-pitched sounds in their hotel rooms or homes followed by symptoms that included nausea, severe headaches, fatigue, dizziness, sleep problems and hearing loss.

A medical team that examined 21 of those affected in Cuba did not mention microwave weapons as a cause in a study published in March in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

But its lead author, Douglas Smith, the director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Times that microwave weapons are now considered a main suspect and that the team is increasingly sure the diplomats suffered brain injury.

"Everybody was relatively skeptical at first," he was quoted as saying, "and everyone now agrees there's something there."

Neither the State Department nor the FBI has publicly pointed to microwave weapons as the culprit, and the Times said there were many unanswered questions as to who might have carried out the attacks and why.

After holding Cuba responsible for either carrying out the attacks or failing to protect American officials, the US in September 2017 recalled more than half of its staff from the embassy and expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from Washington.

Cuba has firmly denied any role in, or knowledge of, the incidents.

In June 2018, the State Department announced it had sent home US government personnel from China after they reported eerily similar incidents.

- Microwave research -

According to the Times, an American scientist, Allan Frey, first discovered in 1960 that the brain can perceive microwaves as sound.

His discovery opened a new field of research that ultimately led both the United States and the Soviet Union to explore microwaves' potential use in unconventional weapons.

The Russians dubbed the class of envisioned weapons as psychophysical or psychotronic, according to the Times.

It said the US Defense Intelligence Agency warned in 1976 that Soviet research on microwaves showed potential for "disrupting the behavior patterns of military or diplomatic personnel."

A National Security Agency statement obtained by Washington lawyer Mark Zaid on behalf of a client described how a foreign power built a weapon "designed to bathe a target's living quarters in microwaves, causing numerous physical effects, including a damaged nervous system," the Times said.

The US military also researched weapons applications of microwaves, with the air force winning a patent on an invention shown to beam comprehensible speech into an adversary's head, according to the Times.

Navy researchers explored the use of the Frey effect to induce sounds powerful enough to cause painful discomfort, and even immobilize the subject, it said.

The Times said it is not known if Washington deploys such weapons.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/M...stery_attacks_on_US_diplomats_report_999.html

 

[ctg]

Lockheed Martin, General Atomics and Boeing have received contract modifications for drone-mounted Low Power Laser Demonstrator system missile defense testing.

Lockheed Martin's contract has increased to a total value of $37.7 million, while General Atomics and Boeing's have been increased to $34 million and $29.4 million respectively, the Department of Defense announced on Friday.

Work for all three companies will take place in various locations across the United States. The contract modifications come from the Missile Defense Agency and can extend as far as July 2019.

Specifications listed include a flight altitude of at least 63,000 feet, the endurance to stay on station for at least 36 hours after a transit of 1,900 miles, and a cruising speed of up to Mach .46 while patrolling its station.

The aircraft needs to be able to carry a payload between 5,000 and 12,500 pounds and sufficient power generation to operate a 140 kilowatt laser, with the possibility of up to 280 kw or more.

The system must also be able to operate the laser for at least 30 minutes without affecting flight performance, and be capable of carrying a one- to two-meter optical system for the laser.

The Missile Defense Agency is responsible for the defense of U.S. territory and its allies from ballistic missile threats. It coordinates a network of land-based and ship-based missile interceptors, along with radars and satellites to detect and destroy enemy ballistic missiles.

ICBMs are at their most vulnerable during their boost phase. A UAV capable of targeting them before they exit the atmosphere would greatly increase the possibility of intercept, the Pentagon said.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/L...Boeing_compete_for_laser-armed_drone_999.html

140 kW ja 280 kWtin lasertehot on hurjia lukemia jenkkien lentävälle laserprojektille

 

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[ctg]

Spoiler: DIY EMP generaattori

Huomaa toimii vain lähietäisyydellä. Jos rakennat ja testaat, hajoita vain omia tavaroita, jätä muiden vehkeet rauhaan.

 

[ctg]

The Marine Corps wants small business owners' help in developing a new non-lethal laser system capable of transmitting orders to someone more than a half-mile away, burning through their clothing, or sending disorienting flash bangs that can temporarily blind them.

The Scalable Compact Ultra-Short Pulse Laser Systems would ideally fit on a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, Humvee or even an unmanned system. That's according to a solicitation on the Small Business Innovation Research website, which encourages companies to compete for federal research and development programs.

The Marine Corps' deadline for applications on this laser system closed Wednesday. It's not immediately clear whether any small businesses sent in their ideas.

The ideal weapon system the Marine Corps wants should: produce flash-blind effects from a minimum distance of 100 meters; burn through common clothing, such as fabric, denim or leather; and deliver voice commands to those as far as 10 football fields away.

https://www.military.com/defensetec...ol-laser-can-yell-people-1000-yards-away.html

Huokaus

 

[ctg]

laserteknologia kehittyy melkein samalla vauhdilla kuin akkuteknologia.

Laser pointers were cool for about 30 seconds when they first came out, before becoming immediately passé and doing absolutely nothing to improve the boss’s quarterly reports presentation. However, just as with boom boxes and sports cars, more power can always make things better. [Styropyro] was unimpressed with the weak and unreliable laser pointers he’d sourced from eBay, so gutted one and began a fresh build.

After fiddling with some basic 1mW eBay green lasers, [styropyro] had some fun turning up the wick by fiddling with the internal trimpots. This led to the quick and untimely death of the cheap laser diodes, leaving a compact laser pointer shell ripe for the hacking.

To replace the underwhelming stock components, [styropyro] chose a Nichia NDG7475 high-powered laser diode, fitting it into a small heatsink for thermal management. Current draw was far too high to use the original switch, so the stock housing’s button is instead used to switch a MOSFET which delivers the full current to the laser driver. To reach the higher output power of 1.4W, the laser diode is being run over specification at 2.3 amps. All this current draw would quickly overwhelm standard AAA batteries, so a pair of lithium polymer 10440 batteries are substituted in to do the job.

The build shows that with clever parts selection and some easy hand soldering, you too can build an incredibly dangerous laser pointer at home, that fits neatly in your shirt pocket. Alternatively, you might prefer something on the larger scale.

https://hackaday.com/2019/02/19/building-a-1-4w-laser-pointer-in-a-tiny-housing/

 

[ctg]

A major “attraction” of IDEX 2019 was the Chinese Silent Hunter, a laser defense system mounted on a 6x6 truck. It is basically an anti-drone laser weapon developed in China by Poly Technologies. It is an improved version of the 30 kilowatt Low-Altitude Laser Defending System (LASS) and is available in both fixed and mobile versions.

The Silent Hunter uses an electrically powered fiber optic laser. At IDEX 2019, three ranges were indicated on a screen: 200 to 2,000 meters at 10 kw, 200 to 3,000 meters at 20 kw, and 200 to 4,000 meters at 30 kw. The detection/capture range of a target is 4 km.

Although it is primarily designed to search, track, and destroy low-flying drones at speeds not exceeding 60 m/s at 200 meters, it is powerful enough to "ablate" or penetrate five 2 millimeter steel plates at a range of 800 meters or a single 5 millimeter steel plate at 1000 meters. The sheer bulk of the Silent Hunter prevents its use on an aerial platform.

A Poly official claimed that the Silent Hunter was used to safe guard the September 2016 G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, but this laser weapon was first unveiled at IDEX 2017. It was again showcased at the International Exhibition of Weapons Systems and Military Equipment (KADEX) in Kazakhstan in 2018. So, IDEX 2019 seems to be its third public appearance.

https://www.armyrecognition.com/ide...plays_silent_hunter_laser_defense_system.html

 

[MoRsE]

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2019/...s-progress-to-100-kilowatt-combat-lasers.html

In the 2025-2030 timeframe, there will be 300-kilowatt and megawatt lasers for missile defense.

 

[BlackFox]

Jos oikein hablasin Saksaa niin kenttätestit valmistuneet 2018 Joulukuussa.

 

[ctg]

Using a laser to drill through a plasma, scientists working at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the US have set a new world record for plasma accelerators: In a plasma tube only 20 centimetres long, the scientists accelerated electrons to an energy of 7.8 billion electron volts (GeV), a value for which today's most advanced conventional particle accelerators require hundreds of metres.

The team led by Wim Leemans, then head of the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator (BELLA) Center and now Accelerator Director at DESY, presents the novel concept in the journal Physical Review Letters. A plasma is a gas in which the molecules have been stripped of their electrons, creating a mix of positively charged molecules and negatively charged electrons.

"The development of stable plasma acceleration with energies near 10 GeV is a milestone on the route from the lab to first applications," said Leemans, who plans to improve the method further at DESY. "We have developed a new concept in the toolbox, and together with other concepts for acceleration, beam stability and beam control existing at DESY, this will allow for compact electron sources."

Particle accelerators are indispensable tools in many areas, from science to industry and medicine. Conventional accelerators use radio waves to push bunches of electrically charged particles like electrons forward faster and faster. The technique is very advanced and produces high-quality particle beams, but high energies require a lot of space and money.

Laser plasma acceleration is a completely different concept. It uses an intense, high-energy laser pulse that ploughs through a plasma. Like a speedboat on a lake, the laser pulse creates waves in its wake.

The electrons can ride these plasma waves like a wakeboard surfer rides the waves in the wake of a boat. Plasma waves can accelerate particles hundreds of times stronger than the best conventional accelerators. Although numerous challenges remain to be solved, the technique promises cheaper, dramatically smaller accelerators and novel applications.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Laser_drill_leads_to_world_record_in_plasma_acceleration_999.html

The more powerful the laser pulse is, the stronger the acceleration in the plasma.

 

[ctg]

The country that is first to develop and field battlefield lasers will have a distinct military advantage. Directed energy weapons promise to complement kinetic weapons and help fight off various emerging threats, such as swarms of drones, fast attack boats, and cruise missiles. And the recently released Missile Defense Review calls for studying the potential of space-based lasers to intercept ballistic missiles.

But to achieve that advantage, the United States must develop lasers and other directed energy weapons sooner rather than later, and do so at scale to put them into the hands of our warfighters in a meaningful way. This week’s Directed Energy Summit, the first major gathering of its kind since the release of the Missile Defense Review, offers a forum where top national security leaders and policymakers can seize the momentum.

https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/20...eprint-adding-them-force/155700/?oref=d-river

The question is, how? Here’s a 10-point blueprint designed to get us going in the right direction.

1. The Defense Department must scale up laser power and improve beam quality development. The pace of maturing these capabilities is not technology-limited – it is funding-limited. Therefore, we should increase directed energy funding to between $2 billion to $3 billion per year.
2. We should also take further action to reduce the size, power, weight, and cost requirements of these weapons. The Office of the Secretary of Defense, for example, should establish and fund a separate program toward that end – and to focus broadly on improving laser weapon lethality. MDA laser programs should be fully funded to increase laser power levels for high-altitude and space-based applications.
3. We must provide warfighters with tactical decision aids to ensure they know how and when to use these weapons. This will go far toward instilling confidence in our warfighters that these weapons will be effective in combat against multiple threats.
4. While a tremendous amount of work has been done, we should also conduct further research to improve our understanding of laser lethality and reliability across an increasing range of weather and atmospheric conditions. This research should also focus on minimizing any collateral damage.
5. We need to accelerate our acquisition of these capabilities. DoD takes more than 16 years, on the average, to bring new technologies from statement of need to deployment. But there are several examples of this timeline being dramatically shortened, such as the Navy’s Rapid Prototyping Experimentation and Demonstration program for mission-critical capabilities and the use of specialized acquisition authorities by the MDA. DoD should use such accelerated processes for directed energy development and deployment.
6. DoD must signal a long-term commitment to lasers, so the industrial base will know there will be a market for its products in the coming years. In doing so, DoD should prepare, and encourage, the industrial base to support the rising need for first-, second-, and third-tier suppliers.
7. DoD should fully fund existing tests at sea, on land, and in the air – and there are many. Navy projects, such as the Laser Weapons System aboard the USS Ponce, have already shown that lasers can shoot down drones and collect surveillance data at long range. Other higher-powered Navy lasers, such as the HELIOS system, are in development and will be on a surface combatant next year. Meanwhile, the Army has tested a 5-kilowatt laser mounted on a Stryker combat vehicle and aims to field-test a 50-kW Stryker-mounted laser in 2021, with a goal of fielding it by 2023. Plus, the Air Force’s SHiELD project is developing 50-kW air-based lasers to produce a fighter-compatible weapon for use by 2021.
8. All parties involved in laser deployment should talk to each other. DoD needs to better articulate its requirements for deployable lasers. But also, the industrial base must interface better with DoD and its leadership to increase understanding of innovative laser weapon capabilities.
9. We must also prioritize warfighter training. There is currently no established laser weapon training pipeline, and that’s because lasers have no formal programs of record. Once these are set up, training must follow. To assist in establishing such programs, we should encourage wargames and operational analysis to investigate and better articulate the battlefield benefits of lasers.
10. DoD should adapt command-and-control functions to address rapidly evolving threats, such as hypersonics, to reduce the engagement times of defensive systems. Very short engagement timelines will likely necessitate the incorporation of artificial intelligence capabilities to help the U.S. leverage the speed-of-light engagement that directed energy weapons offer.

These are the steps we can take to bring laser prototype systems to our warfighters. Our brave men and women confront dangerous threats across all physical domains – land, air, sea, and space – and need nothing less than the world’s most promising new capabilities to protect our national security. Our adversaries are not waiting to develop directed energy weapons. Neither should we.

 

[Teräsmies]

Turkkilaisillakin on oma raidetykkiprojekti meneillään.

Turkey released first videos of its powerful electromagnetic railgun

Turkish defense industry released on Saturday video showing the test of newest electromagnetic railgun called Şahi 209 Block II. According to media reports, new Turkish powerful railgun use electromagnetic energy instead of gunpowder to propel 35mm rounds and is capable of striking a target 31...

defence-blog.com

 

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Raytheon Co. has successfully brought down multiple drones using its advanced high power microwave (HPM) and mobile high energy laser (HEL) weapons.

The directed-energy systems recently brought down DJI Phantom 4 quadcopters, as well as "a mix of other class 1 and 2 fixed-wing and quadcopter" drones during an Air Force demonstration at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, Raytheon spokesman B.J. Boling told Military.com on Tuesday.

"After decades of research and investment, we believe these advanced directed-energy applications will soon be ready for the battlefield to help protect people, assets and infrastructure," Thomas Bussing, Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems vice president, said in a news release accompanying the announcement.

The release noted the HPM and HEL systems engaged and defeated "dozens of unmanned aerial system targets" during the exercise.

https://www.military.com/daily-news...pons-down-drones-air-force-demonstration.html

Raytheon directed energy systems down drones in US Air Force demonstra

U.S. Air Force personnel used Raytheon-built microwave systems and high-energy lasers to bring down dozens of small drones during a recent exercise. The ta

www.armyrecognition.com

The Army is working on a powerful new 100-kilowatt laser system to defend against enemy missiles, artillery and drone swarms but will eventually have to make it smaller and lighter to deploy.

"We're trying to get it small enough and efficient enough to put on a platform," Robert Snead, an engineer with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command based at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, said Thursday, referring to the High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL TVD), which the service described as being in the "pre-prototype" stage.

https://www.military.com/daily-news...m-down-powerful-new-laser-defense-system.html

 

[ctg]

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) Program successfully completed a major program milestone April 23, 2019 with the successful surrogate laser weapon system shoot down of multiple air launched missiles in flight.

The SHiELD program is developing a directed energy laser system on an aircraft pod that will serve to demonstrate self-defense of aircraft against surface-to-air (SAM) and air-to-air (AAM) missiles.

"This critical demonstration shows that our directed energy systems are on track to be a game changer for our warfighters," said Dr. Kelly Hammett, director of AFRL's Directed Energy Directorate.

During the series of tests at the High Energy Laser System Test Facility at White Sands Missile Range, the Demonstrator Laser Weapon System (DLWS) (Figure 1), acting as a ground-based test surrogate for the SHiELD system, was able to engage and shoot down several air launched missiles in flight. The demonstration is an important step of the SHiELD system development, by validating laser effectiveness against the target missiles. The final SHiELD system, however, will be much smaller and lighter, as well as ruggedized for an airborne environment.

"The successful test is a big step ahead for directed energy systems and protection against adversarial threats," said Maj. Gen. William Cooley, AFRL commander. "The ability to shoot down missiles with speed of light technology will enable air operation in denied environments. I am proud of the AFRL team advancing our Air Force's directed energy capability."

High Energy Laser technology has made significant gains in performance and maturity due to continued research and development by AFRL and others in the science and technology ecosystem. It is considered to be a game changing technology that will bring new capabilities to the warfighter.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/U..._shoot_down_of_air_launched_missiles_999.html

 

[ctg]

A Dynetics and Lockheed Martin team have beaten out Raytheon in a head-to-head competition to build a 100-kilowatt laser weapon for the U.S. Army.

The Army has awarded a $130 million contract to the Dynetics-Lockheed team to build the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command’s High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL TVD) laser system.

Under the program, Dynetics — the prime contractor — will integrate the laser system onto the Family of Medium-Tactical Vehicles, or FMTV, with the effort culminating in a test of the entire system in 2022 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The Army began its effort to get a more powerful laser onto a vehicle less bulky than a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck in 2016.

https://www.defensenews.com/land/20...-raytheon-to-build-100-kilowatt-laser-weapon/

 

[Leaderwolf]

US Army eyes near-term fielding of combat capable hypersonic and directed energy weapons

Ashley Roque, Washington, DC - Jane's Defence Weekly
05 June 2019

The US Army wants to field its first hypersonic missile battery by 2023, as well as a battery of Strykers equipped with 50 kW high-energy lasers by 2022, in a bid to compete with China and Russia in the race to field new weapons.

https://www.janes.com/article/89053...apable-hypersonic-and-directed-energy-weapons

 

[ctg]

USS Preble saa kaksi 60+ kW HELIOS laseria (3kW pysäyttää kaupallisen dronen, 30kW rekan, 60+ riittää isompaan veneeseen varmaan)

The Pearl Harbor-based USS Preble will be the first destroyer to be equipped with a high-energy laser to counter surface craft and unmanned aerial systems, according to a published report, with the Navy planning to one day use the powerful light beams to defend against Chinese or Russian cruise missiles.

Rear Adm. Ronald Boxall, the Navy's director of surface warfare, told Defense News that the Preble will be outfitted in 2021 with the High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-dazzler With Surveillance system, or HELIOS.

"We are making the decision to put the laser on our (destroyers)," Boxall said. "It's going to start with Preble in 2021, and when we do that, that will now be her close-in weapon that we now continue to upgrade," according to Defense News.

The Phalanx close-in weapon system is used now to defend against airborne threats by spitting out a stream of projectiles from its automated 20 mm Gatling gun.

The Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a $150 million contract in 2018, with options worth up to $943 million, for the development of two high-power laser systems for testing on a destroyer and on land.

With the HELIOS system, Lockheed Martin said it will "help the Navy take a major step forward in its goal to field a laser weapon system aboard surface ships."

The Congressional Research Service said in a May report that the Navy is developing three new ship-based weapons: solid-state lasers, an electromagnetic railgun and a gun-launched guided projectile that "could substantially improve" the ability of Navy surface ships to defend against surface craft, unmanned aerial vehicles and, eventually, anti-ship cruise missiles.

"Any one of these new weapons, if successfully developed and deployed, might be regarded as a 'game changer' for defending Navy surface ships" against enemy missiles, the report states.

Hawaii already has been a test site for the gun-launched guided projectile, also known as the hypervelocity projectile, as well as flight-testing of a hypersonic vehicle.

The Navy has made "substantial progress" toward deploying lasers on ships, which would be used initially for jamming or confusing (i.e. "dazzling") enemy surveillance sensors and for countering small boats and unmanned aerial vehicles, the research service said.

The Modern War Institute at West Point wrote in late 2018 that drone swarm technology is a growing threat. The report said China is interested in swarm technology as a method of attacking aircraft carriers.

Iran's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, announced in March that it had conducted an exercise in the Persian Gulf involving 50 combat drones.

The HELIOS effort is focused on rapidly fielding a 60-kilowatt high-energy laser with "growth potential" to 150 kilowatts.

Lockheed Martin said it demonstrated that a 10-kilowatt system can defeat small airborne targets with the "speed of light" capability and that a 30-kilowatt system had disabled a stationary truck target.

The Navy previously tested a 30-kilowatt laser in 2017 aboard the afloat forward staging base USS Ponce, shooting a small Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle out of the sky.

With further development, lasers can be used to save costly defensive missiles for the most sophisticated threats. Challenges include packing enough power on a ship, with advances needed to scale power into the hundreds of kilowatts, the Navy said.

https://www.military.com/daily-news...-destroyer-equipped-laser-defense-system.html