General Atomics’ & Boeing’s High Energy Laser

Major military technology developers are cooperating on developing a practical laser weapon system with an output of 100 to 250 kW which should be usable for terrestrial, naval, and even air forces.

Image by Javier Rodriguez from Pixabay

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Laser weapons are on the list of the biggest wishes of many militaries for a long time now. Well, since Theodore Harold Maiman but the first functional laser in the Hughes Research Lab back in 1960. And then, when Star Wars came to cinemas there was no going back – everyone wanted a laser canon.

Laser weapons sound like the dream of the military. With enough energy, a laser weapon can easily burn through steel even at large distances while keeping the costs for a shot – at least when compared to classical ammunition or rockets – incredibly low. At the same time, the number of shots is limited only by the amount of available energy. All of these make laser seem like the ultimate weapon. If only they were viable in the real world.

One of the biggest problems that slow the real-world use of lasers is the cooling of the generator for the laser. This is quite key because even military laser has an effectiveness of transforming energy of just 50 – 70 percent. The rest of the energy just flies out of the window as heat which can sometimes also make the laser inoperative or even damage it.

This particular problem is now being worked on by General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) and Boeing. These two companies are working together to develop a practical and mass-produced laser weapon system called a High Energy Laser with a power output of 100 to 250kW for the purposes of anti-air and anti-missile defenses.

GA-EMS is providing their laser technology, HELLi-ion battery system, and the cooling technology. The cooling is especially important for this system which combines the high-energy-density of solid-material laser with the cooling of liquid-material lasers. Boeing is providing the hardware and the software for the laser.

Combining the technologies of GA-EMS and Boeing a High Energy Laser type system should be created and should provide high-power, range, and the capability to operate in many different situations which can be found in current military missions. At the same time, the system should be practical enough for use in terrestrial, naval, and air systems.

Sources:

• https://www.ga.com/general-atomics-boeing-partner-on-high-energy-laser-weapon-system

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