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China Reveals WB-1, ADS-like RF Directed Energy Weapon
Zhuhai, Guandong, China (posted: 26 December 2014)
The China Poly Group Corporation used the recent Airshow China 2014 to reveal its WB-1 millimeter-wave
beam-projecting non-lethal anti-riot system. Chinese reports note that it has an effective range of 80 meters
but with increased power its range can be increased to 1 kilometer.
More.
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Earl Good, Former Director of AFRL Directed Energy Directorate, Dies
Albuquerque, N.M. (posted: 19 December 2014)
R. Earl Good, an astrogeophysicist who headed the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy
Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base from 1997 to 2003, died on 10 December of Alzheimer’s disease. He was 78.
A memorial service for Good will be at 1100 on 27 December at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 2626 Arizona NE.
A reliable source reports that the service will be webcast at www.ustream.tv/channel/abideabq.
More.
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Maloney, Ross, Schall Elected New DEPS Directors
Albuquerque, N.M. (posted: 5 December 2014)
Jeff Maloney (L-3 Com), Sean Ross (AFRL), and Harold Schall (Boeing) are the newly elected DEPS Directors, who
will assume their seats on the Board of Directors at the Annual Directed Energy
Symposium in 2015. They are replacing John Boness,
Kirk Hackett, and Robert Peterkin.
More.
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Navy Laser Weapon System Deployed Aboard Ponce
Manama, Bahrain (posted: 5 December 2014)
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert received a firsthand look at the directed energy Laser Weapon System (LaWS)
aboard the interim afloat forward staging base USS Ponce (AFSB(I) 15) on 26 November.
Data regarding accuracy, lethality and other factors from the Ponce deployment will guide the development of even more
capable weapons under the Office of Naval Research Solid-State Laser – Technology Maturation program.
More
and More.
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Balloting for DEPS Directors Extended to 1 December
Albuquerque, N.M. (posted: 24 November 2014)
Balloting for new DEPS Directors has been extended until midnight on Monday, 1 December.
DEPS members may cast their votes online. The newly elected DEPS Directors will
take their seats in 2015.
More.
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Stellar Science Awarded Directed Energy Weapon Systems Simulation Contract
Albuquerque, N.M. (posted: 20 November 2014)
Stellar Science Ltd. Co.has been awarded a $7,429,454 cost-plus fixed-fee contract
for research and development on the Directed Energy High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute.
They will develop a capability to perform end-to-end simulations of all directed energy weapon (DEW) systems
by integrating laser source, target effects, ancillary system components, and propagation simulations along with
directed energy (DE) platform system, engagement, and mission level models.
More.
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Balloting for DEPS Directors Closes on 24 November
Albuquerque, N.M. (posted: 17 November 2014)
Balloting for new DEPS Directors will close next Monday, 24 November, and DEPS members must
cast their ballots online by the deadline. The three
successful candidates will serve three-year terms.
More.
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Stephanie Miller Named Air Force Research Laboratory Fellow
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio (posted: 12 November 2014)
Stephanie Miller was awarded Air Force Research Laboratory Fellow status, the laboratory's highest award for career contributions.
Miller is chief of the Radio Frequency Bioeffects Branch, 711th Human Performance Wing, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas and is a DEPS Fellow.
More.
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China Develops Laser Weapon System Against Drones
Beijing (posted: 5 November 2014)
Chinese engineers have successfully tested a laser weapon that can shoot down low-flying, slow-moving drones,
state media reported Tuesday. The system is designed to destroy small drones flying below 500 meters (1,600 feet)
at a speed less than 180 kilometers per hour (110 mph), the China Daily said.
More.
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Tests Demonstrate Paradoxical Laser Effect
Vienna (posted: 27 October 2014)
What started out as a mathematical oddity has now become a new kind of laser technology.
Under certain conditions, a laser can be switched on not by supplying it with more energy, but
by taking energy away from the laser.
More
and More.
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Lockheed Martin Advertises Laser Project Manager Position
Bothell, Wash. (posted: 23 October 2014)
Lockheed Martin's Laser and Sensor Systems (L&SS) business is advertising for a Senior Program Manager.
Desired skills include experience leading laser, laser weapon system, and active and passive sensor development programs.
More.
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Election of Three New DEPS Directors Opens Online
Albuquerque, N.M. (posted: 15 October 2014)
The DEPS Nominations Committee has named the following six candidates for the three DEPS
Director positions to be filled by election this fall. Write-in candidates will be
accepted.
- Steve Calico, Lockheed Martin
- Diana Loree, AFRL/RD
- Jeff Maloney, L-3 IOS Brashear
- Kelly McDonald, NAWCWD
- Sean Ross, AFRL/RD
- Harold Schall, Boeing
More.
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Navy Tests a Solid-State, Vehicle-Mounted Laser Weapon
New York (posted: 1 October 2014)
The Office of Naval Research is testing a solid-state, vehicle-mounted laser weapon designed to incinerate a
range of air and ground targets such as enemy drones, rockets and even IEDs, according to Lee Mastroianni,
program manager for the Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy On-the-Move Program, or GBAD.
More.
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Lockheed Martin, AFRL, Notre Dame Demonstrate DARPA/AFRL Laser Turret
Sunnyvale, Calif. (posted: 18 September 2014)
Lockheed Martin, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the University of Notre Dame have demonstrated
the airworthiness of a new beam control turret being developed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
and AFRL to give 360-degree coverage for high-energy laser weapons operating on military aircraft. Lockheed-Martin is a
long-term DEPS Gold Sponsor.
More.
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2014-2015 Graduate Directed Energy Scholars Announced
Albuquerque, N.M. (posted: 16 September 2014)
The 2014-2015 Graduate Directed Energy Scholars scholarships, awarded to
graduate students in both laser and RF directed energy areas, are listed below. These awards are funded by a grant from the High Energy
Laser Joint Office and by DEPS.
- Brian Anderson, University of Central Florida
- Christopher Dunn, Clemson University
- Geoff Greening, University of Michigan
- Kevin Landsman, University of Maryland
- Tyler Rowe, University of Wisconsin
- Drew Schiltz, Colorado State University
- Michael Steinbock, Air Force Institute of Technology
- Lucas Taylor, University of Minnesota
More.
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HEL Mobile Demonstrator Successfully Demonstrated in Maritime Environment
Huntsville, Ala. (posted: 4 September 2014)
Boeing and the U.S. Army have proven the capabilities of the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD)
in maritime conditions, successfully targeting a variety of aerial targets at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
“Under windy, rainy and foggy weather conditions in Florida, these engagements were the most challenging to date
with a 10-kilowatt laser on HEL MD,” said Dave DeYoung, Boeing Directed Energy Systems director. Boeing is a
long-term DEPS Gold Sponsor.
More.
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Raytheon Develops GBAD, a Vehicle-Based Laser Weapon
El Segundo, Calif. (posted: 14 August 2014)
Under an Office of Naval Research program, Raytheon will develop a vehicle-based laser device capable of defeating
low-flying threats such as enemy drones. The Ground Based Air Defense (GBAD) Directed Energy On-the-Move Future Naval
Capabilities program calls for a field demonstration of a Humvee-mounted short-range laser weapon system with a
minimum power output of 25kW. Raytheon is a long-term DEPS Gold Sponsor.
More.
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Boeing Features Directed Energy at Space and Missile Defense Symposium
Huntsville, Ala. (posted: 12 August 2014)
Boeing will showcase integrated air and missile defense solutions during the Space and Missile Defense Symposium
at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Aug. 11-14. The company
will exhibit scale models and demonstrations of the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD)
and other systems. Boeing is a long-term DEPS Gold Sponsor.
More.
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Lasers Could Become Cost Effective Missile Defense Weapons
Arlington, Va. (posted: 21 July 2014)
The United States military invests more money than any other country to maintain technological superiority,
but its expensive high-tech defenses are increasingly countered by the proliferation of relatively cheap but
effective weapons like cruise missiles and unmanned aircraft. Lasers and other directed energy weapons can
reverse the trend in favor of the U.S. because they cost next to nothing to fire and
have almost limitless magazines.
More.
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Watkins Named to Clemson University Post
Clemson, S.C. (posted: 15 July 2014)
The new director of Clemson University’s general engineering department is a career naval officer who has served
aboard three nuclear submarines and has done research on how lasers can be used as weapons.
Joe Watkins, who will retire as a captain after 31 years in the Navy, comes to Clemson from the U.S. Naval Academy.
More.
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ARL Optimizes Laser Eye Protection for Tanks
Adelphi, Md. (posted: 14 July 2014)
The U. S. Army Research Laboratory's Survivability/Lethality Analysis Directorate is applying its unique
expertise in the technical performance and vulnerabilities of optical systems to optimize a laser-protection
device for the gunner's primary sight on the M1A2 tank. This is the latest result of a five-year collaboration with
the device's developers at the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center.
More.
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Stephen Hammel Featured in DOD Armed with Science Segment
Pentagon (posted: 30 June 2014)
Dr. Stephen Hammel, an atmospheric propagation scientist at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, is profiled in Meet
the Scientists. This is a an Armed with Science segment highlighting the men and women working in the U.S. government
realms of science, technology, research and development.
More.
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Laser Weapon Being Readied for Marine Vehicles
Arlington, Va. (posted: 11 June 2014)
As the Navy prepares to deploy its first laser weapon on a ship later this summer, Office of Naval Research officials
announced 11 June that they have finished awarding contracts to develop a similar weapon to be used on ground vehicles.
The Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy On-the-Move program, commonly referred to as GBAD, aims to provide an
affordable alternative to traditional firepower to keep enemy unmanned aerial vehicles from tracking and targeting Marines on the ground.
More.
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ARL Phase-Coherent Fiber Laser Array Supports DARPA's Excalibur Program
Adelphi, Md. (posted: 9 June 2014)
The U.S. Army Research Laboratory's Computational and Information Science Directorate's Intelligent Optics Team, and partners,
recently developed, engineered, demonstrated and delivered the world's first known working Adaptive Phase Coherent Fiber Laser Array system,
which will better enable Soldiers' directed energy weapons and laser communication systems on the battlefield.
More.
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Marshall Institute Hosts Panel on Directed Energy Weapons in DC
Arlington, Va. (posted: 12 May 2014)
The George C. Marshall Institute has assembled a panel of experts to discuss the state of the Directed Energy
Weapons programs, their uses and military applications, and their integration into strategic planning. This
public event will be held at 1000 on Monday, 19 May at the Capitol Visitor Center in Wasington, D.C.
More.
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Lockheed Martin Tests ADAM Laser Weapon Against Boats
Sunnyvale, Calif. (posted: 7 May 2014)
In tests off the California coast, a Lockheed Martin prototype laser system successfully disabled two boats at a range of
approximately 1.6 kilometers (approximately 1 mile). These were the first tests of the Area Defense Anti-Munitions (ADAM) system
against maritime targets.
More.
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Carmen Menoni Honored as CSU University Distinguished Professor
Ft. Collins, Colo. (posted: 2 May 2014)
Carmen Menoni earned the title of University Distinguished Professor, the highest academic recognition awarded
by Colorado State University. Menoni, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and a long-time DEPS member, is an internationally
recognized researcher in optics and a role model for women in engineering and science.
More.
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Lockheed Martin to Build Army HEL MD Laser
Bothell, Wash. (posted: 24 April 2014)
The U.S. Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a $25 million contract to design, build and test a
60-kilowatt electric laser to be integrated and tested in a truck-mounted weapon system demonstrator.
Under a contract managed by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Technical Center, the Lockheed Martin-provided
laser will be integrated on the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD).
Lockheed Martin is a DEPS Gold Sponsor.
More.
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Army Research Lab Technical Strategy Includes Directed Energy
Adelphi, Md. (posted: 24 April 2014)
The U.S. Army Research Laboratory released its overarching technical strategy, envisioned to support
Strategic Land Power Dominance for the Army of 2030 and beyond.
This technical strategy is focused on exploring, better understanding, maturing, and exploiting S&T developments
leading to Power Projection Superiority, Information Supremacy, Lethality and Protection Superiority, and Soldier
Performance Augmentation. Directed energy is included as an area of research that supports these goals.
More.
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Summer Deployment Planned for Navy DE Weapon Prototype
Arlington, Va. (posted: 8 April 2014)
Navy engineers are making final adjustments to a laser weapon prototype that will
be the first of its kind to deploy aboard a ship late this summer.
The prototype, an improved version of the Laser Weapon System, will be installed
on USS Ponce for at-sea testing in the Persian Gulf.
More.
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Directed Energy Weapon Market Worth $18 Billion by 2020
Dallas. (posted: 27 March 2014)
The last few years witnessed a well-paced revolution in the directed energy weapon market,
according to a recently released report by a market research firm.
In the report, the market is projected to cross $18.42 Billion
by 2020, growing from 2013 to 2020.
More.
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SMDC Tech Leaders Speak at Annual Directed Energy Symposium
Huntsville, Ala. (posted: 25 March 2014)
"Directed Energy Applications are considered 'game changing' technologies by the Army," said Richard De Fatta, director of
the Emerging Technology Directorate within the Technical Center of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces
Strategic Command at the 16th Annual Directed Energy Symposium on 10-14 March.
Along with De Fatta, Dr. Mark L. Swinson, deputy director for Rapid Transition, Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat
Organization, and several members of the Emerging
Technology Directorate participated, often serving as session chairs and providing presentations addressing high energy laser subsystem development
and prototype demonstration results and high power microwave efforts.
More.
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Kiel, Horkovich, Henderson, Meyer Elected DEPS Officers
Huntsville, Ala. (posted: 17 March 2014)
At the DEPS Board meeting last week during the Annual Directed Energy Symposium,
new officers were elected:
David Kiel, President
James Horkovich, Vice-President
Mark Henderson, Secretary
Thomas Meyer, Treasurer
It was also announced at the Symposium that John Wachs, who stepped down from the Board in 2013, was
named Director Emeritus.
More.
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DARPA Demonstrates Excalibur's High Power Optical Phased Arrays
Arlington, Va. (posted: 6 March 2014)
DARPA’s Excalibur program successfully developed and employed a 21-element optical
phased array (OPA) with each array element driven by fiber laser amplifiers.
“The success of this real-world test provides evidence of how far OPA lasers could surpass legacy
lasers with conventional optics,” said Joseph Mangano, DARPA program manager.
More.
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McGinnis to Head FSU Center for Advanced Power Systems
Tallahassee, Fla. (posted: 28 February 2014)
Florida State University has named Roger D. McGinnis Sr. the new director of the Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS),
an innovative research center that is working to develop next generation power systems. McGinnis, a member of the DEPS Board
of Directors, is a retired U.S. Navy captain who has held key positions in the Office of Naval Sea Systems Command,
the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Department of Homeland Security.
More.
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OUSD Encourages Conference Attendance by DOD Scientists and Engineers
Pentagon (posted: 27 February 2014)
Frank Kendall, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, has published a widely
distributed memo encouraging conference attendance by DOD scientists and engineers. The memo emphasizes
the importance of attendance at technical symposia and conferences that
enhance communication between DoD acquisition professionals and their industry counterparts.
More.
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Army Solid-State Laser Testbed Undergoes Trials
White Sands, N.M. (posted: 7 February 2014)
The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command's
Emerging Technology Directorate used a solid-state high energy laser testbed to
engage and destroy threat representative targets in tactical scenarios.
The Solid-State Laser Testbed, or SSLT, is part of an Army test designed
to investigate military applications and validate the operational utility of
high energy lasers.
More.
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Navy Laser Weapon Nears Critical Test
Arlington, Va. (posted: 31 January 2014)
A laser weapon that looks like a telescope will go to sea later this year aboard a
Navy warship. Over a 12-month trial deployment in potentially hostile waters,
sailors will attempt to prove whether lasers can serve as legitimate weapons
against approaching small aircraft or high-speed boats.
More.
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Lockheed Martin Demonstrates Weapons Grade High Power Fiber Laser
Bothell, Wash. (posted: 28 January 2014)
Lockheed Martin has demonstrated a 30-kilowatt electric fiber laser, the highest power
ever documented while retaining beam quality and electrical efficiency.
The unique process, called Spectral Beam Combining, sends beams from multiple fiber laser
modules, each with a unique wavelength, into a combiner that forms a single,
powerful, high quality beam. Lockheed Martin is a DEPS Gold Sponsor.
More.
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Menoni Named SPIE Fellow
Ft. Collins, Colo. (posted: 21 January 2014)
Carmen Menoni, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Colorado State University,
recently was elected a Fellow of SPIE – the international society for optics and photonics.
Menoni was honored for "innovative contributions to extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray imaging and for contributions
to advancing optical materials." She is a long-term DEPS member.
More.
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Biedron Named American Physical Society Fellow
Ft. Collins, Colo. (posted: 20 January 2014)
Colorado State University Professor Sandra Biedron was named an American Physical
Society Fellow for her
fundamental advancement of light sources, including the control of light
and harmonic light generated from coherent electron beams and the development of
high-power long wavelength sources. Biedron is a DEPS member.
More.
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NAVSEA Advertises for Directed Energy Subject Matter Expert
Dahlgren, Va. (posted: 15 January 2014)
Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Naval Systems Engineering Directorate is advertising a position
for a Directed Energy technical expert for systems. An engineering degree and top secret security
clearance are among the requirements for this position, which will be located in Dahlgren, Virginia.
This position closes on 20 January 2014.
More.
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