Laser weapons slowly shifting from science fiction to reality

[The Watcher]

some day BVR will be an ancient technology. no?

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Laser weapons slowly shifting from science fiction to reality

The U.S. Air Force Airborne Laser uses a megawatt-class Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL) that will destroy ballistic missiles. Chemical lasers are the most powerful lasers available today.
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. - Last year U.S. Air Force F-16 jet fighter pilots the High-Energy Laser Fighter - better-known as the HEL Fighter - by firing the aircraft’s high-energy laser cannon at targets acquired by radar.

No, this was not Star Trek come to life but actually a computer simulation in a computerized war-game of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M.

During the exercise, called Advanced Concepts Event or ACE, pilots used the newly developed laser-armed F-16 simulator to prepare for aerial combat once laser weapons become available. The simulator also enables Air Combat Command experts to *develop tactics, techniques, and procedures for future laser battles.

“We started this effort nearly four years ago,†notes Rudy Martinez, the HEL Fighter project officer at the AFRL’s Directed Energy Directorate. “We wanted to merge an F-16 simulator with a laser weapon system so that a pilot could blend flying experience with the skills needed to operate a revolutionary speed-of-light weapon.

“A pilot would fly his F-16 differently in a laser battle compared to a more traditional fight using guns or missiles,†Martinez continues. “With guns and missiles a pilot has to maneuver to approach a target from behind or from the side. But with a laser weapon that pilot can have more latitude. That’s because the laser fires through a turret mounted underneath the plane. The turret allows the laser to fire on either side or straight ahead, so the pilot doesn’t have to do as much maneuvering.â€

Improvements to HEL Fighter are in the works. One of those improvements, according to Martinez, is to use lasers, rather than radar, to acquire targets in an air battle. Until then, Martinez adds, that experience will only be available through simulators like the HEL Fighter and exercises such as ACE.

These types of laser weapons have yet to be fielded; needed, and under development, are solid-state lasers and compact electrical sources that can power high-energy laser weapons.

Today’s military is looking to deploy lasers that are invisible to the naked eye and require a large-scale design to generate enough heat to destroy targets such as missiles, says Ed Pogue, Director, High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office (HEL JTO) in Albuquerque, N.M. The weapons would also not make any noise, he adds.

The HEL JTO coordinates the Air Force, Army, and Navy’s efforts to develop high-energy laser weapons.

Weapons systems continue to appeal to the Air Force and to the U.S. Department of Defense, says Bruce Simpson, *director of the AFRL Directed Energy *Directorate. Most of the money - in the hundreds of millions - still goes to the U.S. Air Force Airborne Laser program, Simpson says. AFRL programs are usually in the tens of millions when it comes to funding, he adds.

We could always use more money for the right program and the right time line, Simpson says. The goal is to do things “cheaper, better, faster.â€

AFRL experts are looking at three types of lasers for destroying targets: chemical lasers, solid-state lasers, and *optical-fiber lasers.

Chemical lasers The biggest laser is currently in development at the AFRL Directed Energy *Directorate - the U.S. Air Force Airborne Laser (ABL), which deploys a chemical laser to destroy ballistic missiles in flight, and other targets.


full piece with images click here

 

[highsea]

some day BVR will be an ancient technology. no?

It's not too far in the distant future. The US is developing a solid state laser for the F-35 and AC-130 platforms as well as the ABL.

Lasers Being Developed For F-35 and AC-130
DAVID A. FULGHUM/WASHINGTON

Directed-energy devices are emerging from the 'black' world as weapons for manned and unmanned aircraft

Lockheed Martin is tailoring a laser for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that could be ready as early as 2010 for demonstration and the start of a full-scale development program.

Variants of the solid-state laser, powered by a drive shaft from an aircraft's engine instead of batteries, also are being considered for use on AC-130 gunships and Lockheed Martin-designed unmanned aircraft. The high-energy laser system is being designed in a joint project with Raytheon.

An advantage of a directed-energy weapon is that it can shoot indefinitely and is limited only by the ability to cool it, and it's covert. "There's no huge explosion associated with its employment," a Lockheed Martin official said. "There are no pieces and parts left behind that someone can analyze to say, 'This came from the U.S.' The damage is very localized, and it's hard to tell where it came from and when it happened. It's all pretty mysterious."

A foe would be left largely clueless trying to analyze what happened and why. Planners envision scenarios where fires are set, electronic components are damaged and computer memories are erased with no collateral damage or injury to those near the target.

A Defense Science Board study last year said that several technology breakthroughs have moved high-energy lasers on fighters into the realm of the possible. Among them was increased electrical power-generation capability achieved under the "More-Electric Aircraft Project." The DSB contends that aircraft systems will be able to provide one megawatt of power in less than five years. Other rapidly developing technologies allow smaller packaging of systems. These include advanced solid-state lasers, chemical lasers with electro-regeneration of chemicals and fiber lasers.

More here:

http://www.aviationnow.com/content/publication/awst/20020708/aw32.htm

and here:

Chemical lasers--those whose energy comes from the mixing of chemicals, producing a high energy effect--are in hand now and will be the first combat lasers deployed. The Airborne Laser uses a chemical laser, as does the Army's Tactical High Energy Laser (a ground-based system for use against short-range rockets). Another new chemical system, the Advanced Tactical Laser, will go on AC-130-style gunships.

Chemical lasers offer very high power--in the megawatt range. A drawback is that they require large platforms to haul the large quantity of chemicals needed and the laser modules themselves, as well as the beam control mechanism. The Airborne Laser platform is a specially configured 747 widebody jetliner. The Army's THEL currently requires three vehicles the size of semitrailers, although it is described as "transportable." The Advanced Tactical Laser will be housed in a wheeled module that can be loaded into the cargo bay of a C-130-type aircraft.

Electric, or solid-state, lasers, use electricity as their power source. To be small enough to be useful for combat operations, they would be limited to about 25 kilowatts. However, Neice said AFRL has set a goal of five years to develop a 100-kilowatt solid-state laser.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is USAF's first choice for a potential electric laser weapon system platform. Fighters are ideal for an electric laser because they produce huge amounts of energy as a by-product of producing thrust.

The Air Force has already identified its first potential platform for an electric laser--the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The research lab struck an agreement with Lockheed Martin to explore the possibility for the F-35, although the agreement could extend to other fighters. Neice said the service chose the F-35 initially because both it and the electric laser are still being defined.

"We are looking at this in terms of technology insertion," he said. "I would love to see it as a Spiral 1" system, or one that would appear on the first F-35s. He admitted it's too soon to tell if that will happen. The more likely timing for a directed energy weapon on that aircraft will be in Spiral 2 or Spiral 3, said Neice.

Industry officials are even looking beyond fighters now in development. They have a new class of "fotofighter"--small combat jets that would employ laser weapons exclusively--already on the drawing boards.

Fighter aircraft make ideal platforms for solid-state lasers because fighter engines can produce huge amounts of electricity as a by-product of producing huge amounts of thrust.

http://www.afa.org/magazine/dec2002/1202attack.asp

 

[Kalkara]

The Boeing Company is the prime contractor for the Airbourne Laser Program.

 

[Aussie Digger]

So you're a fan of the RAAF's target drones eh? (Kalkara) And from Brisvegas too eh? Verry good. So is your's truly... It'd be cool to see the RAAF's (maybe) F-35's fitted with an airborne laser system but I'm thinking a defensive laser (DIRCM) would more than likely be deployed as opposed to any sort of offensive laser system. 2010 isn't THAT far away...

 

[Kalkara]

OK then, here's your AC-130.

 

[gf0012-aust]

Actually I'm a big fan of Kalkara as well. It would be an interesting UCAV/AshM

IIRC one of the Indian UAV's is identical to the earlier BMQ series, I think they've picked them up under license from the US.

 

[Kalkara]

Certainly, Australia has a long standing reputation for developing interesting 'buzz bomb' style drones and lead-in UAVs. In fact, I work with a bunch of great chaps who played significant roles in thier use in years gone by (ex-RAAF). Together, we recently bid for the JP129 Project.

We can't forget the Kerkanya and the Brumby either.

 

[gf0012-aust]

Kerkanya was a huge loss, we developed a solution ahead of the Yanks that was better than anything that they had in equiv development. .

have you got specs on Brumby?

 

[Kalkara]

Use Dr. Wong's website to go to his Brumby UAV spec webpage, or alternatively I recommend you read his paper 'UAVs OVER AUSTRALIA - Market And Capabilities' which he provides a link to the PDF file of also.

http://www.aero.usyd.edu.au/wwwdocs/uav.html

Dr. Wong has published several reputable papers on UAV and drone development in Australia. His papers reference publications co-authored by retd Wing Commander Barry Sutherland who is a work colleague of mine here at Boeing. Speaking ofwhich, how could I forget the Jindivik.

 

[gf0012-aust]

We really messed up on innovation in Australia, We used to sell things like Jindivik to the US, UK and Sweden,. At one stage the US used Aust laser technology as it was the most efficient small systems technology available.

as usual, we sell off the farm due to govt inertia.

 

[Aussie Digger]

Sorry this whole thread simply reminds me of Austin Powers a bit too much. "Frickin lasers" and the unforgettable "giant laser". "Mini me" stop humping the laser... Why don't you and the giant laser get a frickin room..."

 

[kashifshahzad]

I think that will take a long time to do that caz it requires a lot of hardwork struggle and to develop that kinda technology :coffee

 

[Pathfinder-X]

Sorry this whole thread simply reminds me of Austin Powers a bit too much. "Frickin lasers" and the unforgettable "giant laser". "Mini me" stop humping the laser... Why don't you and the giant laser get a frickin room..."

So you watch Austin Powers too eh? That giant laser on the moon was funny but not a bit realistic. It would require massive amount of power to generate such a powerful laser beem.

But hey, what do you expect from Austin Powers? Yeah baby yeah!

 

[umair]

I seriously friggin hate Austin Powers!
To the topic at hand, ok I know what are solid state lasers and their employment dynamics to some extent.Can anybody expand on what in blazes are chemical lasers?

 

[highsea]

Chemical lasers get their power from chemical reactions instead of more traditional methods.

Rather than rely on batteries, capacitors, electric generators or really long extension cords, the COIL is powered by liquid chemicals and ionized gas. First tested at the Kirtland AFB Phillips Lab in 1977, the COIL, now being built by Northrop Grumman Space Technologies, uses atomized liquid hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) -- - essentially beauty salon highlighter and Liquid Plumber -- - and chlorine gas (CL2) to form an energized (ionized) form of oxygen known as singlet delta oxygen (O2(1D).)

SDO, in turn is mixed with molecular iodine gas (I2) to form ionized iodine gas. As the ionized iodine gas returns to its resting state it releases a photon pulsing at 1.315mm. As the photons are released, they are collected and amplified by a pair of parallel laser cavity mirrors and finally discharged as a pulse of coherent light. When finally installed, the COIL will consist of six individual lasing modules (each weighing 4,500 pounds, and as big as a panel van) linked in series (so that the beam from one module can be amplified further as it passes through subsequent modules.)

To properly mix the chemicals to produce enough photons to be effective, the SDO and iodine mixture is injected into the lasing cavity at a near supersonic speed (the turbine-like pump that performs this task is small enough to fit on an office desk and can fill a typical backyard pool in less than 10 minutes.) To reduce weight and chemical waste, unused H2O2 is recycled until exhausted. The byproducts from this beam generation process are harmless heat, potassium salt, water, and oxygen.

More on the COIL in the ABL:

http://www.military.com/soldiertech/0,14632,Soldiertech_ABL,,00.html

 

[XEROX]

For the lasers dont forget hydrogen fluoride