The U.S. Army is developing the most powerful laser that is still a million times more powerful than conventional systems.
Most laser weapons fire a continuous beam until a target melts or catches fire, but the Ultrashort Tactical Pulsed Laser (UPSL) for Arm Platforms emits short, blow-like explosions.
It is designed to reach a terawatt for 200 short femtoseconds, which is one square of a second, compared to the maximum 150-kilowatt of most conventional systems.
Even for that infinite amount of time, the UPSL could damage the drone surface.
It is also thought that such an explosion would disturb nearby electronic systems, making it an operational electromagnetic attraction (EMP).
The U.S. military is aiming to have a working prototype by August 2022.
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The conventional laser systems fire a continuous beam until the target melts, but the Ultrashort Tactical Pulsed Laser (UPSL) for Army Platforms emits short explosions, similar to a blow that can damage a target surface .Pictured: The USS Ponce equipped with XN -1 LaWS – Laser combat system
The U.S. military is investing heavily in laser weapons, which it aims to use to fire enemy drones, mortar missiles and missiles from a distance without loss of life.
Laser systems are better directed at ‘small, fast targets like drones or missiles,’ according to the new scientist.
Against a person they can cause a number of injuries – from mild skin irritation to permanent blindness – but they are not practical as barriers.
According to a summary of the Small Business Innovation Research website, conventional high-energy laser (HEL) laser systems mainly consist of continuous wave (CW) laser sources with output powers in the kilowatts. ‘
Pictured: Beam conductor element of Army High Tactical Laser (THEL)
These systems either cause a target to ‘burn and melt’ or overtake the optical sensors.
The goal is to develop an ultrashort pulse laser system (USPL) with sufficient size, weight, power and ruggedization ‘for use on relevant Army platforms,’ the summary said.
The prototype would pack an extra punch over ‘go without a short time,’ according to the new scientist, emitting 20 to 50 beats per second, or 20 to 50 watts, ‘approx. on 10 times larger than LED light bulbs. ‘
Unlike conventional lasers, which emit over long distances, USPL can turn the air itself into a lens and keep the intensity intact.
‘The intensity level in a terawatt crushing laser is capable of a nonlinear effect in air causing a self-focusing filament,’ according to the SBIR site. ‘These filaments move indiscriminately, providing a potential solution to the negative impact of conduction quality when emitted by a conventional CW laser system.’
Instead of melting a drone, the USPL could damage the outer shell.
The military hopes to have other tricks in its arsenal, including inflating sensors, delivering a powerful explosive wave, and even generating an EMP that could overwhelm it. internal electricity threat. ‘
‘Deadly variations as well as multiplier devices make USPL technology particularly interesting for a number of mission sets.’
It is hoped that a prototype laser system will be ready for demonstration by August 2022.
There will be a discussion of laser-powered weapon systems dating back at least to the 1980s and President Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars-like Strategic Defense Campaign.
Under the Trump administration, the Army agreed a new strategy for accelerating rapid prototyping and the field of various guided energy weapons.
The plans included missile-killing lasers and ‘neutral conduct’ that detonate enemy projectiles with subatomic particles until they are rendered useless.
In October, Boeing and General Atomics announced a collaboration on a laser device capable of firing missiles out of space.
The ‘HEL’ (High Energy Laser) system will be equipped with 100-kilowatt beams that can be raised to 250 kilowatts to support a number of air and missile defense applications.
Designed to ‘overcome a series of emerging hazards’ it will be possible to use the laser as a stand-alone system or integrated ground vehicles, vessels and aircraft on board, the companies said.
General Atomics will be responsible for developing the army’s laser, batteries and thermal management system, while Boeing will create the beam controller and the software necessary for the detailed analysis and physical control of the laser.
In May, the U.S. Navy unveiled its own Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD), using it to drone down at sea.
The LWSD, which operates at 150 kilowatts, was shot down on an unmanned aircraft from the top of the USS Portland, an amphibian transport dock ship.
The drone set the drone on fire and caused it to fall out of the air unassisted.
In addition to turning off drones and small boats, the LWSD can blindly detect enemy sensors while monitoring integrated video cameras
The Navy is also developing a medium-strength laser, called Laser High Energy and Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS), which reaches 60 kilowatts and can be mounted on a larger mix of vessels, such as destroyers.