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Within three years, the U.S. Army hopes to field a solid-state, 1-kilowatt, vehicle-mounted laser that can destroy improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and UAVs, Army program managers said.
A prototype weapon called the Avenger performed well during a Boeing-Army test in September at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala.
Encouraged, Army officials are working with the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) to secure funding for more tests, build more prototypes and mount the laser onto a Cougar vehicle.
It was the first test of record for the solid-state laser.
The laser propagates through a telescope built onto the AMW, focusing that kilowatt of power out at operational ranges, placing the hot, high-intensity thermal light beam on UXO [unexploded ordnance] and/or IEDs, said Lee Gutheinz, Boeings high-energy laser and electro-optical program director.
The Avenger laser burns through bomb casings, touching off part of the explosive material. This means the bomb detonates with much less force than if it had been set off as planned, or shot at with a gun.
The effect that a thermal engagement can have on unexploded ordnance or an IED is that you can heat them until they deflagrate then blow up, Gutheinz said. The explosive in the shell cooks off slowly through either melting or bubbles off. It goes off in a low yield so you will typically only blow up about 30 percent of the explosive.
That means less shrapnel and collateral damage.
For instance, if you were in a built-up area, instead of getting a large high-order explosion, you might get some reduced detonation with the laser, said U.S. Army Col. Edward Mullin, who manages cruise-missile-defense projects at Redstone Arsenal.
For the September test, the laser was mounted on a weapons mount called the Agile Mobile Weapons System (AMWS), developed in the 1980s for anti-tank missiles and .50-caliber machine guns and modified by Army and Boeing engineers over the past year.
Weve been working on laser neutralization capability for some time, things to destroy IEDs. This uses the subsystems that comprise the Avenger, such as FLIR [forward looking infrared radar], laser, .50- caliber, and brings all that to bear in a fighting system, Mullin said, referring to the other weapons the AMWS is able to fire.
Boeing says the laser could be ready within one year.
We hope to find a way to get directed energy into a fieldable position as soon as possible, Gutheinz said. The Army is motivated to deal with the deadly problem of IEDs. I see the day in the near future when lasers will become an integral part of soldiers tactical weapons arsenal.
The laser, which was mounted on a Humvee for the September test, will likely deploy on a bigger vehicle, Army officials said.
We would probably put it on a more heavily armored vehicle, such as a Cougar, but integrated with all of the Avenger electronics, Mullin said. That would enable us to fight from the vehicle and from a remote work station and fight from a distance. We are now upgrading the system onto an armored vehicle to test the concept and pursue a follow-on program.
Earlier Efforts
In 2003, the Army sent a Humvee-mounted laser called ZEUS-HLONS (HMMWV Laser Ordnance Neutralization System) to Afghanistan, marking the first combat deployment of high-powered laser weapons.
The system was used for six months at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, where it disabled more than 200 pieces of unexploded ordnance, at one point setting a record for ordnance disposal by destroying 51 pieces in less than 100 minutes, according to a statement from the U.S. Space and Missile Defense Technical Center.
The ZEUS system had some reliability problems, Mullin said.
ZEUS was able to perform the missions it was required to do, but we need to do further work on making the system more reliable, Mullin said. å
DefenseNews.com - U.S. Tests Anti-IED Laser - 11/26/07 21:29
here is a cottage industry forming to thwart the twin threats of unexploded bombs and intentionally placed IEDsby convincing the Pentagon to use long-range lasers in the warzone. Boeing, always at the forefront of a lucrative market niche, has mounted a solid-state direct-energy beam that can explode bombs in the clear before they can take out a convoy. And if the proving-ground footage weve been checking out is any indication, this zapper is definitely showing potential.
Late last month, Boeing conducted a series of tests at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama with a 1-kw laser mounted on the back of a converted anti-aircraft Humvee. Shooting an invisible beam just a few centimeters in diameter and 20 times hotter than an electric stovetop, the laser burned a hole through the casing of artillery and mortar rounds, detonating them more or less instantly. (As for bystanders, all bets are off.)
Boeing engineers also took the time to carve up a pair of grounded unmanned aerial vehicles (pictured below), hoping to promote the idea that laser-powered weaponry can be used in anti-aircraft and someday even missile defense. The company developed the Laser Avenger in just eight months as part of an ongoing effort to show that directed energy weapons are relevant to today's battlefield and are ready to be fielded.
Boeing Laser Avenger - Humvee Hunts IEDs and Bombs in Tests - Popular Mechanics
View attachment 914accb149d13211bcb06f6379605e74.jpg
Within three years, the U.S. Army hopes to field a solid-state, 1-kilowatt, vehicle-mounted laser that can destroy improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and UAVs, Army program managers said.
A prototype weapon called the Avenger performed well during a Boeing-Army test in September at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala.
Encouraged, Army officials are working with the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) to secure funding for more tests, build more prototypes and mount the laser onto a Cougar vehicle.
It was the first test of record for the solid-state laser.
The laser propagates through a telescope built onto the AMW, focusing that kilowatt of power out at operational ranges, placing the hot, high-intensity thermal light beam on UXO [unexploded ordnance] and/or IEDs, said Lee Gutheinz, Boeings high-energy laser and electro-optical program director.
The Avenger laser burns through bomb casings, touching off part of the explosive material. This means the bomb detonates with much less force than if it had been set off as planned, or shot at with a gun.
The effect that a thermal engagement can have on unexploded ordnance or an IED is that you can heat them until they deflagrate then blow up, Gutheinz said. The explosive in the shell cooks off slowly through either melting or bubbles off. It goes off in a low yield so you will typically only blow up about 30 percent of the explosive.
That means less shrapnel and collateral damage.
For instance, if you were in a built-up area, instead of getting a large high-order explosion, you might get some reduced detonation with the laser, said U.S. Army Col. Edward Mullin, who manages cruise-missile-defense projects at Redstone Arsenal.
For the September test, the laser was mounted on a weapons mount called the Agile Mobile Weapons System (AMWS), developed in the 1980s for anti-tank missiles and .50-caliber machine guns and modified by Army and Boeing engineers over the past year.
Weve been working on laser neutralization capability for some time, things to destroy IEDs. This uses the subsystems that comprise the Avenger, such as FLIR [forward looking infrared radar], laser, .50- caliber, and brings all that to bear in a fighting system, Mullin said, referring to the other weapons the AMWS is able to fire.
Boeing says the laser could be ready within one year.
We hope to find a way to get directed energy into a fieldable position as soon as possible, Gutheinz said. The Army is motivated to deal with the deadly problem of IEDs. I see the day in the near future when lasers will become an integral part of soldiers tactical weapons arsenal.
The laser, which was mounted on a Humvee for the September test, will likely deploy on a bigger vehicle, Army officials said.
We would probably put it on a more heavily armored vehicle, such as a Cougar, but integrated with all of the Avenger electronics, Mullin said. That would enable us to fight from the vehicle and from a remote work station and fight from a distance. We are now upgrading the system onto an armored vehicle to test the concept and pursue a follow-on program.
Earlier Efforts
In 2003, the Army sent a Humvee-mounted laser called ZEUS-HLONS (HMMWV Laser Ordnance Neutralization System) to Afghanistan, marking the first combat deployment of high-powered laser weapons.
The system was used for six months at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, where it disabled more than 200 pieces of unexploded ordnance, at one point setting a record for ordnance disposal by destroying 51 pieces in less than 100 minutes, according to a statement from the U.S. Space and Missile Defense Technical Center.
The ZEUS system had some reliability problems, Mullin said.
ZEUS was able to perform the missions it was required to do, but we need to do further work on making the system more reliable, Mullin said. å
DefenseNews.com - U.S. Tests Anti-IED Laser - 11/26/07 21:29
here is a cottage industry forming to thwart the twin threats of unexploded bombs and intentionally placed IEDsby convincing the Pentagon to use long-range lasers in the warzone. Boeing, always at the forefront of a lucrative market niche, has mounted a solid-state direct-energy beam that can explode bombs in the clear before they can take out a convoy. And if the proving-ground footage weve been checking out is any indication, this zapper is definitely showing potential.
Late last month, Boeing conducted a series of tests at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama with a 1-kw laser mounted on the back of a converted anti-aircraft Humvee. Shooting an invisible beam just a few centimeters in diameter and 20 times hotter than an electric stovetop, the laser burned a hole through the casing of artillery and mortar rounds, detonating them more or less instantly. (As for bystanders, all bets are off.)
Boeing engineers also took the time to carve up a pair of grounded unmanned aerial vehicles (pictured below), hoping to promote the idea that laser-powered weaponry can be used in anti-aircraft and someday even missile defense. The company developed the Laser Avenger in just eight months as part of an ongoing effort to show that directed energy weapons are relevant to today's battlefield and are ready to be fielded.
Boeing Laser Avenger - Humvee Hunts IEDs and Bombs in Tests - Popular Mechanics
