Towards the end of 2021, the United States
government awarded Boeing and General Atomics a joint contract
to create a prototype for a weapon that could potentially revolutionize national defense.
In the last decade, the military tested several 30-kilowatt laser weapons,
but this new enterprise sought to develop a laser device that was ten times as powerful.
It is expected that Boeing and General Atomics will soon demonstrate the concept
of a 300-kilowatt-class solid-state Distributed Gain High Energy Laser Weapon System,
just in time given the recent trials that China has carried out with hypersonic weapons…
Sputnik Moment
In late 2021, China conducted a distressing test involving a hypersonic weapon system.
According to General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff
and the first Pentagon official to confirm the nature of the tests,
such a weapon has nuclear capabilities, and it is possible to launch into space
and even orbit around the Earth before re-entering the atmosphere and gliding towards its target.
Its development was part of the country’s aggressive advance in space and military
technologies. However, the General clarified that further details would not be discussed
as they involved classified intelligence.
Still, Milley did confirm that the US was working
on its own hypersonic weapons featuring flight trajectory,
speed, and maneuverability, enabling them to bypass early warning systems that are currently
part of American missile defenses. However, the nation has not yet conducted a test like China’s.
The top officer described that: (QUOTE) “What we saw was a very
significant event of a test of a hypersonic weapon system, and it is very concerning.”
In fact, some newspapers referred to it as a “Sputnik moment,” a
reference to the 1957 pivotal event that propelled America to boost its military
developments when it was clear that it was falling behind in the arms race.
Over half a century later, the arms race against China escalated. As Milley put it:
(QUOTE) “I don’t know if it’s quite a Sputnik moment, but I think it’s very close to that.”
Team-Up
In tandem with the escalating weapons race, it was announced in late October of 2021 that the
US federal government awarded a contract to build a 300-kilowatt laser weapon prototype to a team
that included Boeing Defense Space & Security and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems.
Boeing is a leading aerospace company that develops, manufactures, and services products
ranging from commercial airplanes to defense and space systems.
Its customers comprise over 150 nations worldwide, and as a top exporter,
it has global-class talents and a diverse team committed to technological innovation.
As for its partner, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems or GA-EMS,
it is a global leader in the research and design of first-of-a-kind electromagnetic
and electric power generation systems. Their portfolio includes an extensive
variety of specialized products and integrated system solutions in the fields of aviation,
space systems and satellites, power and energy, and of course, missile defense.
Combining their expertise, the partnership is regarded as an unmatched venture when it
comes to directed energy, and it is expected to deliver best-in-class,
combat-ready protection with unrivaled speed, performance, safety, and affordability.
On October 25, 2021, the partners received a US Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical
Technologies Office, or RCCTO contract, to develop a 300-kilowatt-class solid-state
Distributed Gain High Energy Laser Weapon System with the objective to
demonstrate the concept and the design sometime in 2022.
Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS, asserted: (QUOTE)
“The high power, compact laser weapon subsystem prototype that GA-EMS will deliver under this
contract will produce a lethal output greater than anything fielded to date.” Indeed,
the final delivery will be a powerful laser with an integrated Boeing director.
The system is expected to leverage GA-EMS’s scalable Distributed Gain Laser technology,
equipped with Boeing’s beam director and precision acquisition, tracking and pointing
software. The complete demonstrator will also feature a sophisticated laser and beam control.
Forney added: (QUOTE) “This technology represents a leap-ahead capability for
air and missile defense that is necessary to support the Army’s modernization efforts
and defeat next-generation threats in a multi-domain battlespace.”
Problems and Solutions
Other than being a mere demonstrator, the system will represent a significant step
from former laser weapons the military has used in the past.
In 2014, the US Navy tested the 30-kilowatt beam experimental Laser Weapon System or LaWS,
on the USS Ponce. The weapon proved helpful when shooting down small craft, such as drones.
But the new laser might be able to take down missiles, as well as helicopters and aircraft.
Provided that the tracking system can keep an energy beam pointed in the right direction
-which should be relatively easy if the target travels in a straight line regardless of speed-
a laser of such extensive power could cause crippling damage.
What’s more, a weapon of this kind can not only melt metal surfaces and effectively
wreck an aircraft’s aerodynamics, but also easily destroy onboard electronics.
Moreover, the team set out to show that GA’s distributed-gain laser arrangement
is the solution to cooling problems that have typically limited the enhancement
of high-energy laser weapons, lifting the imposed barriers of previous developments.
Slab lasers tend to overheat as they fire light into a chunk of crystal as the gain medium,
and thus require gross cooling systems. On the other hand,
fiber lasers do a better job of staying cool, distributing the light through several fibers
spaced apart and efficiently dispersing the heat, not letting it accumulate.
However, the beams must be combined at the end, significantly increasing the complexity,
volume, and weight of the weapon, not to mention the cost.
Doctor Michael Perry, GA-EMS Vice President for lasers and advanced sensors,
described the platform as: (QUOTE) “A packaged version of the 7th Generation of
our Distributed Gain Design already demonstrated.
The laser system employs two Gen 7 laser heads in a very compact and lightweight package. Recent
architectural improvements have enabled our single-beam DG Lasers to achieve comparable
beam quality to fiber lasers in a very simple design without the need for beam combination.”
The innovative system features slabs that run in series, each small enough to disperse its
own heat. When light fires into the first, it is magnified and shot into the second, and so on.
Therefore, the system has no heat issues or any need to combine beams,
allowing the components to be assembled and packaged in versatile ways.
In truth, GA was more than willing to develop the original scalable prototype
even before they secured a military contract.
Portable Power
With the US Army as a powerful ally, the new laser weapon should be ready for testing sometime
in 2022. Vice President and General Manager of Boeing’s Missile and Weapon Systems division,
Cindy Gruensfelder, remarked: (QUOTE) “We’re excited to take the next step in delivering
this critical capability to the Army. Our joint offering will leverage proven, deployed
technologies to provide an industry-leading solution on an accelerated timeline.”
Still, it is unknown whether the platform could be fitted on aircraft without a crippling
demand for power, a capability that would guarantee its compact and lightweight uses.
However, the portable device will undoubtedly be carried on trucks.
While more details become available as development progresses, it is safe to assume
that the weapon will give US national defenses a more versatile approach to modern threats.
Not for nothing did Loz Blain, collaborator for New Atlas, conclude that: (QUOTE)
“The enormous speed advantage of a hypersonic missile means a lot less
when you can shoot it down with an energy beam traveling at the speed of light.”
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