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MEHEL Participates in MFIX Exercise
(posted: 20 December 2017)
A Stryker Mobile Expeditionary High Energy Laser (MEHEL) participated in the Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment
(MFIX), held 4-14 December at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. A crew of three air defense Soldiers were able to detect, acquire,
track and defeat aerial targets as well as ground targets with the MEHEL vehicle after a week of training.
More.
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CRS Report on Navy Lasers, Railgun and Hypervelocity Projectile
(posted: 20 December 2017)
The Navy is currently developing three potential new weapons that could improve the ability of
its surface ships to defend themselves against enemy missiles—solid state lasers, the
electromagnetic railgun, and the hypervelocity projectile.
Any one of these new weapon technologies, if successfully developed and deployed, might be
regarded as a “game changer”.
More.
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DEPS Board Election Opens
(posted: 18 December 2017)
The annual election for three positions on the DEPS Board of Directors has opened. Members
may vote online until 31 January 2018.
More.
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Qinetiq Discuss Schedule for Testing of British ‘Dragonfire’ Laser Weapon
(posted: 11 December 2017)
The first project to be undertaken at the new Dragonworks laser test facility will be the assembly and testing of the
laser directed energy weapon currently in development by the UK’s Dragonfire consortium.
More.
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Hartke, Maloney, Ross, Schall, Stoudt Candidates for DEPS Board
(posted: 7 December 2017)
With voting opening soon, the Directed Energy Professional Society
has announced the five candidates who will be vying to fill three Board of Directors
positions: John Hartke, Jeff Maloney, Sean Ross, Harold Schall and David Stoudt.
More.
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NPI Applauds Release of NAS Report on Intense Ultrafast Lasers
(posted: 7 December 2017)
The National Photonics Initiative (NPI) today applauded a recent study entitled “Opportunities in Intense Ultrafast Lasers:
Reaching for the Brightest Light” by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NAS).
A panel of experts will brief
attendees on the report and its recommendations on 14 December at the NAS
Keck Center in Washington, DC.
More.
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HPM Weapon Could Fry North Korean Missile Controls
(posted: 5 December 2017)
The U.S. has microwave weapons that proponents believe could stop North Korea from launching missiles by frying their
electronics. The weapons were discussed at an August White House meeting related to North Korea, according to two U.S.
officials with direct knowledge.
More.
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Nelson New SMDC Technical Center Director for Programs and Technology
(posted: 4 December 2017)
William B. Nelson, the USASMDC/ARSTRAT Technical Center's new director for Programs and Technology, was sworn
in during a ceremony on 28 November. In this position, he directs research, development and test programs for space,
missile defense, cyber, directed energy and hypersonic weapon technologies. He has served as acting director since March.
More.
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China Test-Fires New Laser-Based C-UAS
(posted: 30 November 2017)
China’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) released images on 28 November showing the test-firing in Beijing of what
appears to be a new counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS).
More.
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How the Pentagon is Preparing for the Coming Drone Wars
(posted: 28 November 2017)
The Pentagon is attacking what it sees as a
potentially major threat, working to develop lasers and microwaves to blast drones from the sky.
More.
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Dragonworks Facility to Put U.K. at Forefront of Laser Weapons Development
(posted: 27 November 2017)
A laser directed energy weapon will be the first project to be undertaken at Dragonworks, a new UK facility
dedicated to the development and testing of advanced laser technology.
Located at Qinetiq’s headquarters in Farnborough, the new facility will serve as a test bed for all technologies
associated with high-energy lasers for military or commercial applications.
More.
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General Atomics Wins Low Power Laser Demonstrator Phase 1 Contract
(posted: 27 November 2017)
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) is being awarded a contract for the Low Power Laser Demonstrator (LPLD)
Phase 1 effort. The competitive cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is valued at around $9 million and is awarded by Missile Defense
Agency (MDA) located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
More.
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Air Force to Explore Defensive Laser Weapons on KC-135s
(posted: 15 November 2017)
The Air Force has been talking about placing laser weapons on fighter jets for some time, but Air Mobility Command
is also looking to the possibility of using lasers to counter surface-to-air and air-to-air missile threats.
Gen. Carlton Everhart, head of AMC, told Air Force Times he wants to begin exploring this capability on a KC-135
refueling tanker starting next year.
More.
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Sandra Biedron Receives IEEE Particle Accelerator Award
(posted: 13 November 2017)
Sandra Biedron, a research professor in The University of New Mexico’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
has received the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Particle Accelerator Science and Technology Award.
Within the directed energy community, she is known for her work in free electron lasers.
More.
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AFRL Awards Three DE Materials Contracts
(posted: 13 November 2017)
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, has awarded contracts and task orders
to the General Dynamics Corp. Information Technology segment in Fairfax, Va.; Azimuth Corp. in Beavercreek, Ohio; and to
UES Inc. in Dayton, Ohio, to advance materials technologies for directed energy.
More.
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U.S. Army Developing HELs to Penetrate Fog, Dust
(posted: 8 November 2017)
The U.S. Army is continuing to improve its adaptive optics system to give a greater range of
compensation for degraded conditions. Thomas Webber, director of the Directed Energy Division's Technical Center,
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, made this observation at the Association of the United States Army's Annual
Meeting and Exposition.
More.
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Lockheed Martin to Develop Compact Airborne High Energy Laser Capabilities
(posted: 6 November 2017)
The Air Force Research Lab awarded Lockheed Martin $26.3 million for the design, development and production of a
high power fiber laser. AFRL plans to test the laser on a tactical fighter jet by 2021. The contract is part of
AFRL's Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) program.
More.
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U.S. Air Force Takes Aim at Lasers on Fighter Jets
(posted: 6 November 2017)
The Air Force’s priority is to develop directed energy technologies, according to the directed energy flight plan
signed by Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson shortly after her confirmation in May. Given size, weight and power
considerations, laser weapons in airborne applications are more complex than other types.
More.
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DE Contributes to U.S. Navy's Electromagnetic Maneuver Warfare
(posted: 6 November 2017)
New electromagnetic maneuver warfare (EMW) capabilities are emerging from laboratories to make a vital
operational impact in the Fleet. New innovations such as directed energy and high energy lasers expand capabilities
within the electromagnetic spectrum.
More.
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Lasertel to Develop New Laser Diode Pump Source for DE Applications
(posted: 27 October 2017)
Lasertel has been awarded a Phase I contract to participate in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Efficient
Ultra-Compact Laser Integrated Devices program, focussing on the development of lightweight laser diode pump
sources for fiber lasers used in directed energy applications.
More.
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Renewed Push for U.S. Army Laser Weapons
(posted: 24 October 2017)
The Army plans in February of 2018 to conduct its first demonstration of the High Energy Laser Mobile Test Truck
equipped with a 50-kilowatt high-energy laser, according to a service official. Kip Kendrick, chief of the directed energy
division at Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, spoke on the program at the Association of the United States Army’s
annual exhibition and conference in Washington, D.C.
More.
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AFRL Tests High Power Microwave Weapons
(posted: 23 October 2017)
Air Force officials at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. are working with microwave experts from companies including
Raytheon and Booz Allen Hamilton to conduct experiments with high power electromagnetic technology.
“AFRL is pursuing the research, development, application and design of high power microwave systems for non-lethal,
non-kinetic weapons," said Erin Pettyjohn, Deputy Division Chief of the High Power Electromagnetics Division of the
Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate.
More.
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U.S. Air Force Plans to Test Gunship Laser Next Year
(posted: 17 October 2017)
The head of Air Force Special Operations Command said the service plans to test an experimental type of laser
destined for a gunship next year.
More.
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Next U.S. Army Combat Vehicle May Feature Laser Weapons
(posted: 17 October 2017)
The U.S. Army plans to have a blueprint for its successor to the M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicle
by 2022. Directed energy could replace
traditional mounted weapons on the new vehicle, the Next Generation Combat Vehicle.
More.
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U.S. Army Eyes Laser Weapons for Rotorcraft Fleet
(posted: 13 October 2017)
The U.S. Army is pursuing a high-energy laser capability for its rotorwing and fixed-wing assets,
following a successful test on a Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.
More.
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Lockheed Martin Developing Technology to Intercept Missile Threats with DE
(posted: 9 October 2017)
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency awarded Lockheed Martin a nine-month, $9.4 million contract to develop a Low Power Laser
Demonstrator (LPLD) missile interceptor concept.
More.
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British Royal Navy's First Sea Lord Visits U.S. NSWC Dahlgren Division
(posted: 6 October 2017)
U.K. Royal Navy First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Philip Jones toured NSWCDD laboratories and test sites on 2 October for overviews
on programs ranging from human systems integration and ballistic missile fire control to directed energy weapons, including the
electromagnetic railgun and high energy lasers.
More.
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Craig Robin New Directed Energy Expert at SMDC
(posted: 6 October 2017)
Dr. Craig A. Robin, appointed in August to serve USASMDC/ARSTRAT as a senior research scientist focused on directed energy
applications, officially assumed his new duties on 4 October.
More.
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Get Lasers Into the Field Faster, Lawmakers Tell the Pentagon
(posted: 5 October 2017)
The U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force are all exploring the possibilities of directed energy.
But congressional leaders say for all that interest, the technology’s not getting into the field fast enough.
More.
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USAF SDPE Issues RFI for Directed Energy Weapons
(posted: 2 October 2017)
The US Air Force’s (USAF) Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation (SDPE) office has issued a request for
information (RFI) to industry partners for directed energy weapons that could be used in an experimentation campaign.
More.
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Japanese Studying Lasers for Missile Defense
(posted: 25 September 2017)
With North Korea making progress in its nuclear and ballistic missile development, the Japanese government is considering
developing a new system for ballistic missile defense. The system is intended to work by shining a high-power laser, mostly
from aircraft or warships, at a ballistic missile immediately after it is launched in the boost stage.
More.
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AFRL Issues RFI on High Energy Combinable Fiber Lasers
(posted: 24 September 2017)
U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory is surveying industry for beam-combining high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers suitable
for aircraft laser weapons. The Air Force is interested in multiple beam-combining architectures including tiled and
filled array for laser weapon systems.
More.
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II-VI Incorporated Launches Component for New Directed Energy Weapons
(posted: 22 September 2017)
II-VI Incorporated, a leading provider of high-power semiconductor laser components, announced the commercial availability of its
industry leading actively cooled laser bars, emitting 200 W of continuous wave power with greater than 60% efficiency.
More.
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Upgraded Lockheed Martin Laser Outguns Threat in Half the Time
(posted: 20 September 2017)
In tests conducted with the U.S. Army's Space and Missile Defense Command in August, the Lockheed Martin 30-kilowatt class
ATHENA (Advanced Test High Energy Asset) system brought down five 10.8' wingspan Outlaw unmanned aerial systems at the Army's
White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
More, including video.
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Defence Secretary Keynote Speech at DSEI Touches on Laser DEW
(posted: 15 September 2017)
In the keynote speech at the Defence and Security Equipment International 2017 in London,
Secretary of State for Defence Sir Michael Fallon mentions the Dragonfire laser directed energy weapon
as a remarkable developing capability.
More.
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Model of Dragonfire's Laser DE Weapon on Display at DSEI
(posted: 13 September 2017)
Dragonfire is showing a model of its new Laser Directed Energy Weapon for the first time on the Royal Navy stand at this
week’s Defence and Security Equipment International event in London.
More.
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Carlsten, Nguyen and Sheffield Win Free-Electron Laser Prize
(posted: 7 September 2017)
At an international science conference hosted recently in Santa Fe, N.M., Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists Bruce
Carlsten, Dinh Nguyen and Richard Sheffield were awarded the 2017 Free-Electron Laser (FEL) Prize.
More.
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US Experts Tout Space-Based Sensors, Lasers for Active Defense
(posted: 7 September 2017)
A panel of uniformed officers and civilian officials
from the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Army as well as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency singled out space-based sensors
and directed-energy interceptors as technologies that the U.S.
must continue to develop if it intends to stay ahead of the proliferating threat of ballistic and cruise missiles.
More.
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Widespread Applications Envisioned for Airborne Lasers
(posted: 1 September 2017)
The Defense Department is looking to equip a variety of aircraft with directed energy weapons in the coming years as the
technology matures. Lasers hold great potential, said Jeff Saling, a strategic planner on the Joint Staff, and analysis
lead for the Pentagon’s Air Superiority 2030 study that was completed last year.
More.
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Sen. Heinrich Announces $17M DOD DE Investment in N.M.
(posted: 24 August 2017)
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and longtime supporter of directed energy
research, announced a $17 million Department of Defense DE investment during a news conference Wednesday inside a
Boeing laboratory in Albuquerque where many DE innovations were developed.
More.
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Verus Research Awarded Frequency Agile High Power Radio Frequency Contract
(posted: 21 August 2017)
Verus Research has been awarded a 3-year, $4.39 million contract to support the Naval Surface Warfare Center (Dahlgren
Division) with Frequency Agile High Power Radio Frequency (HPRF) Source Development, also known as “Agile HPRF.” Earlier,
the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate awarded Verus Research a $2.3 million task order for
High Power Electromagnetic (HPEM) Transitions.
More.
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Directed Energy Weapons Market to Reach $4.56 Bn in 2025
(posted: 15 August 2017)
The global Directed Energy Weapons market is projected to be around $1.82 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $4.56
billion in 2025, according Market Forecast's new market study titled: “Directed Energy Weapons - Global Technology & Market
Forecast to 2025”.
More.
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DEPS Grants $140,000 in Graduate Scholarships
(posted: 10 August 2017)
The DEPS Board of Scientific & Engineering Advisors as well as its Executive
Director Mark Neice just announced the DEPS graduate scholarship awardees for the 2017-2018 academic year:
- Nicholas Antonellis, Wesleyan University
- Lilian Casias, University of New Mexico
- Justin Cook, University of Central Florida
- Samuel Dickerson, University of Missouri-Columbia
- Patrick Forbes, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Evan Hale, University of Central Florida
- Matthew Kemnetz, Notre Dame University
- Amanda Loveless, Purdue University
- Drew Packard, University of Michigan
- Michael Plascak, University of Central Florida
- Jon Pouncey, University of New Mexico
- Zachary Shaw, Texas Tech University
- Amber Vargas, Clemson University
- Ray Wambold, University of Wisconsin-Madison
More.
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U.S. Navy Works Directed Energy Weapons
(posted: 3 August 2017)
In the United States, the U.S. Navy is the cutting edge service with regard to developing and deploying directed energy (DE)
weapons technology. In part this is because ships have enough power to generate the energy necessary to operate current and
next generation DE technologies.
More.
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Railgun Primed for Operational Demos
(posted: 28 July 2017)
At the recent Naval Future Force Science and Technology Expo, the Office of Naval Research announced that the Navy’s
electromagnetic railgun is out of the laboratory and ready for field demonstrations at the Naval Surface Warfare Center
Dahlgren Division’s new railgun Rep-Rate Test Site at Terminal Range.
More.
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More Powerful Lasers to Enhance Army's Arsenal
(posted: 24 July 2017)
The Army will begin testing a 50 kW laser for the High-Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator in FY 2018, according to
Lt. Gen. James H. Dickinson, commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command.
By 2022, he noted that the Army hopes to test a 100 kW laser.
More.
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CNR Identifies Delivery of DE as an Objective
(posted: 24 July 2017)
Chief of Naval Research (CNR) Rear Adm. David J. Hahn has unveiled the new strategic direction for the U.S. Navy’s
continuum of research and development, including delivering directed energy as an objective.
More.
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U.S. Missile Defense Plans to Zap North Korean Threats
(posted: 19 July 2017)
North Korea’s rapid march to develop a nuclear-armed ballistic missile capable of striking the United States has spurred
the U.S. to ramp up efforts to counter the threat. Options include
new solid-state electric and hybrid electric-chemical lasers that are small, powerful and light enough to be carried
on high-altitude drones that can patrol at 60,000 feet above North Korea for days during a crisis.
More.
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Recently Graduated Physicists Sought for Positions in Alabama
(posted: 19 July 2017)
United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command is seeking physicists to work
at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. The successful candidates will be recent graduates from qualified educational
institutions and will perform professional work in the field of photonics, optics, electro-optics, and lasers, among other duties.
Students may apply within nine months of meeting their education requirements.
More.
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Applied Technology Associates Seeks Business Development Manager
(posted: 19 July 2017)
Applied Technology Associates is seeking a business development manager to work in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Minimum requirements include a technical bachelor degree, aerospace experience, U.S. citizenship and the
ability to obtain a DoD security clearance.
More.
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U.S. Navy's Laser Weapon System Featured on CNN
(posted: 18 July 2017)
The Navy's Laser Weapons System is deployed on board the USS Ponce amphibious transport ship.
CNN was granted access to a live-fire demonstration of the laser.
More, includes video.
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U.K.'s CLARA Generates First Electrons
(posted: 8 July 2017)
CLARA (Compact Linear Accelerator for Research and Applications) has just successfully generated its first electrons,
a significant milestone in its development, as it aims to bring the UK’s world leading expertise and experience of
free electron lasers to a whole new level.
More.
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Rafael Unveils Laser-Based Drone Dome System
(posted: 3 July 2017)
Israeli defense electronics company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. unveiled Drone Dome at the Paris
Air Show in June. This interception system uses a laser beam to locate and destroy hostile drones.
More.
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Sparkle Optics Illuminator Laser Developed under HEL JTO Phase III SBIR
(posted: 29 June 2017)
Sparkle Optics illuminator laser, developed under a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research grant from the
High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office, has demonstrated reliable performance for the development of beam control
systems for acquisition, tracking, pointing, and atmospheric compensation.
More.
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Raytheon Seeks High Energy Laser Weapon System Architect
(posted: 27 June 2017)
The Electro-Optical System Design (EOSD) Department at Raytheon is currently looking for a High Energy Laser Weapon
Systems (HELWS) Architect / Engineering Fellow to support the Advanced Concepts and Technology Business Area in the
development and build of HEL weapon systems. The position, which requires a DOD security clearance, is located in
El Segundo, California.
More.
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U.S. Army Successfully Tests Laser on Apache Helicopter
(posted: 27 June 2017)
The U.S. Army and Raytheon have completed a flight test of a high-energy laser system on an AH-64 Apache attack
helicopter that was deemed successful, according to a Raytheon statement Monday.
The recent test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, “marks the first time that a fully integrated laser system
successfully engaged and fired on a target from a rotary-wing aircraft over a wide variety of flight regimes, altitudes
and air speeds,” the company said.
More.
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MDA Requests $5.5 Million for Lasers in FY 2018 Budget
(posted: 14 June 2017)
Missile Defense Agency requested $5.5 million in FY 2018 for Weapons Technology to conduct
demonstrations of the technological foundation for a laser system capable of defeating advanced
threats and raids more efficiently than existing missile interceptors.
More on page 22.
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NPS Leads Research on Weather Prediction for HEL Deployment
(posted: 12 June 2017)
Naval Postgraduate School Professor Qing Wang is Principal Investigator of a project to improve analysis tools and
prediction methods to quantify atmospheric effects on high energy lasers. This project, funded by the High Energy
Laser Joint Technology Office, includes the Naval Research Laboratory, the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command,
and the Universities of Central Florida and Minnesota in addition to NPS.
More.
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Strathclyde-led Research: World's Highest Gain High-Power Laser Amplifier
(posted: 1 June 2017)
The world's highest gain high power laser amplifier - by many orders of magnitude - has been developed in research
led at the University of Strathclyde.
More.
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DEPS Revamps Symposiums
(posted: 30 May 2017)
DEPS is revising the scope of its two major symposiums. The Directed Energy Systems Symposium will
focus more heavily on DE systems and system applications. The Annual Directed Energy Symposium, renamed the Annual
Directed Energy Science
and Technology Symposium, will focus on sub-systems technology and basic research and development. The changes
are already being implemented.
More.
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Laser Weapons Edge Closer to Battlefield Use
(posted: 30 May 2017)
Laser weapons could be arriving just in time to defeat a growing menagerie of cheap-to-make drones and missiles
in the hands of terrorists and rogue states, which could threaten expensive American military hardware.
The threats are proliferating and changing," but laser weapons could counter some of them,
said Robert Afzal, a senior fellow for laser and sensor systems at Lockheed.
More.
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MAX POWER Leaving Kirtland after AFRL Transfers Program to Army
(posted: 22 May 2017)
MAX POWER, the hulking enemy on wheels of improvised explosive devices, is leaving Kirtland and AFRL New Mexico on
16 May. The program and its prototype will now be taken forward by the Army.
More.
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New Guidestar at Maui Space Surveillance Complex
(posted: 16 May 2017)
A new Sodium Guidestar has become operational, sending an orange beam of light into the sky over the
Maui Space Surveillance Complex near the summit at Haleakala. The MSSC, operated by the Air Force Research Laboratory,
has begun operating the new Guidestar as part of a recently-completed modernization of facilities.
More.
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Horkovich, LaMar, Lavan and Schiffler Named to BSEA
(posted: 13 May 2017)
The Directed Energy Professional Society has
announced the appointment of Dr. James Horkovich, Charles LaMar, Michael Lavan and Dr. Donald Shiffler
to the Board of Scientific and Engineering Advisors,
a small group of senior, highly respected
individuals from within the Directed Energy community who assist the Board on technical matters.
More.
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Lasers in Combat: New Space and Missile Defense commander on What's to Come
(posted: 10 May 2017)
The Army’s future air-and-missile defense capabilities are taking shape under the newest Space and Missile Defense
Commander, Lt. Gen. James Dickinson, particularly in laser-armed combat vehicles and the Integrated Air-and-Missile
Defense system (IAMD), both considered to be crucial enablers for the maneuver force.
More.
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Decker and Henderson Named as DEPS Newest Directors Emeritus
(posted: 5 May 2017)
DEPS conferred Emeritus Director status on former Directors Dr. William Decker and Mark Henderson for their
long-standing and significant contributions to DEPS and its Board of Directors.
More.
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HEL JTO Establishes DE Models and Effects Repository
(posted: 1 May 2017)
The HEL Joint Technology Office has established the Directed Energy Models and Effects Repository,
a secure Web-based card catalog of meta-data files describing current modeling and simulation capabilities and
effects testing efforts. DEMER seeks to facilitate collaboration within the Directed Energy (DE) community by
increasing the visibility of available modeling and simulation tools and effects testing efforts.
More.
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SOCOM Prepares to Test Airborne Directed Energy Weapon
(posted: 28 April 2017)
The directed energy weapon is “rapidly moving” from the conceptual to the practical, said Lt. Gen. Brad Webb,
commander of Air Force Special Operations at the March Directed Enrgy Summit. Over the next year, the command
plans to make major strides in the development of the technology, Webb said, leading to a proof of concept demonstration
on a gunship.
More.
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NSWC Crane Enters into CRADA with Purdue University
(posted: 28 April 2017)
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) has entered into a Collaborative Research and Development
Agreement (CRADA) with Purdue University. The goal of the agreement will be to develop advanced concept models and
prototype RF modules with integrated cooling technologies.
More.
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Adrian Carter, Richard Holmes Named 2017 OSA Fellows
(posted: 24 April 2017)
DEPS members Adrian Carter and Richard Holmes were recently named 2017 Fellows of OSA, the Optical Society. Holmes
was honored as a DEPS Fellow in 2010.
More.
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Navy Scientists Use World War II Era Test Tunnel to Develop HEL Weapons
(posted: 24 April 2017)
The Navy’s top laser experts transformed a tunnel crucial to gun range operations during World War II into a vital
new capability for testing laser technologies, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) announced.
“The facility, which is unique within the Navy, along with its suite of analysis tools are essential for designing,
developing, and integrating laser technology into existing and future fighting forces and platforms," said Frank Dixon,
NSWCDD Directed Energy and Pulsed Power Division head.
More.
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Air Force Wants Cruise Missiles Capable of Beaming Directed Energy
(posted: 20 April 2017)
The Counter-Electronics Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) is intended to cripple enemy air
defenses with directed-energy beams coming off a low-flying cruise missile.
While traditional counter-electronics warfare weapons seek to jam enemy radar, CHAMP is meant to destroy them.
More.
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U.S. Army Mobile High-Energy Laser Shoots Drones from Sky
(posted: 19 April 2017)
The Mobile High-Energy Laser, a Stryker combat vehicle equipped with a 5kW
laser and an array of sensors, was one drone-killing systems under evaluation at the 2017 Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment,
which ran 3-13 April at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
More.
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Dstl Preparing for Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) Testing
(posted: 6 April 2017)
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) scientists are conducting trials that will enable Dstl to
characterise the effectiveness of Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW), in support of the LDEW Capability Demonstrator.
The programme will culminate in a technology demonstrator in 2019.
More.
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Heinrich Headlines National Directed Energy Summit
(posted: 4 April 2017)
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and founder of the first
ever Congressional Directed Energy Caucus, delivered a keynote address at last week's Directed Energy Summit in Washington,
D.C. highlighting his commitment to invest in directed energy technology.
More.
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Navy, MDA Experimenting With Laser Prototypes
(posted: 31 March 2017)
The Navy and Missile Defense Agency are leveraging prototyping programs to incrementally pursue complex ideas such
as a laser weapon integrated into the Aegis Combat System and a high-power laser for boost-phase kill in missile defense,
officials said at the 2017 Directed Energy Summit.
More.
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PLA's Potential Breakthrough in High Power Microwave Weapons
(posted: 29 March 2017)
Chinese scientists have reportedly achieved unexpected success in their development of high power microwave weapons.
More.
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Thomas Webber Named SMDC Technical Center Director
(posted: 29 March 2017)
The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command announced that
Thomas E. Webber was named the director of the Technical Center, a role he has been filling in an acting capacity
for several months. The Center's portfolio includes systems such as the High Energy Laser Mobile Test Truck.
More.
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ARA is Seeking Directed Energy Weapon System Engineers in Albuquerque
(posted: 23 March 2017)
Applied Research Associates (ARA) has requirements for several Directed Energy Weapon System Engineers with experience in system
analysis, modeling and simulation (M&S), hardware design, and hardware integration and test (I&T). These positions
are in Albuquerque, New Mexico and require a bachelors degree, 10 or more years experience and an active clearance.
More, More, and More.
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U.S. Army Demonstrates Integration of Laser Weapon on Combat Vehicle
(posted: 22 March 2017)
Members of the USASMDC/ARSTRAT Technical Center's Air and Missile Defense Directorate participated in the Joint
Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization UAS Hard-Kill Challenge at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, from 27 February to
3 March. During the challenge, the Mobile Expeditionary High Energy Laser 2.0 demonstrated its
counter-unmanned aircraft system capability.
More.
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U.S. Army Gets World Record-Setting 60-kW Laser
(posted: 17 March 2017)
The U.S. Army is taking delivery of a 60 kilowatt-class laser from Lockheed Martin as the company wraps up
demonstrations of the capability. The laser will be integrated onto the Army's High Energy Laser Mobile Test Truck
or HELMTT.
More.
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Space-Based Lasers among Beijing’s Hi-Tech Arms
(posted: 14 March 2017)
China’s military is developing powerful lasers, electromagnetic railguns and high-power microwave weapons for use
in a future “light war” involving space-based attacks on satellites.
More.
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Schafer is Seeking an Electro-Optical Engineer in Albuquerque
(posted: 7 March 2017)
Schafer Corporation has an immediate requirement for an Electro-Optical Engineer with broad experience in all
aspects of the theory and practice of optical systems engineering. This position in Albuquerque, New Mexico
requires a masters degree, 10 or more years experience and an active Top Secret clearance.
More.
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Impossible (But Working!) Recipe For Ultrashort Laser Pulses
(posted: 7 March 2017)
Physicists from Warsaw have generated ultrashort laser pulses in an optical fiber, by using a method previously
considered as physically impossible to achieve. The new laser produces high quality femtosecond pulses, and their
energy can be up to 1000 times larger than typical for lasers with material absorbers.
More.
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China Exhibits The Silent Hunter Laser Weapon in Dubai
(posted: 2 March 2017)
At the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Dubai, China flaunted a range of high-tech weaponry,
including the laser weapon The Silent Hunter, with a claimed output of 50-70 kilowatts.
More.
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Horkovich, LaMar, Lavan, Schiffler Named New DEPS Fellows
(posted: 28 February 2017)
Announced at the 19th Annual Directed Energy Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, Dr. James
Horkovich, Charles LaMar, Dr. Michael Lavan, and Dr. Donald Shiffler are the newest candidates to be
invested as DEPS Fellows for their extensive contributions
and distinguished service to the Directed Energy community.
More.
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Maloney, Meyer, Ross, Schall DEPS Officers for 2017
(posted: 21 February 2017)
Jeff Maloney, Howard Meyer, Sean Ross and Howard Schall were elected DEPS President, Vice President, Secretary and
Treasurer for the next year at the DEPS Board of Directors meeting in Huntsville on 15 February 2017. The officers are
the same as in 2016 except that Meyer has replaced Dan Marker as Vice President. President Maloney expressed the gratitude of
the Society to Marker for his service as Vice President.
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AEgis Awarded AFRL Directed Energy SatAC Contract
(posted: 14 February 2017)
AEgis Technologies was awarded a $40 million, five-year contract to support the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directed Energy (RD)
Directorate’s Satellite Assessment Center (SatAC). SatAC is the Air Force-chartered organization that evaluates directed energy effects on
space systems, performs assessments of space system susceptibilities to directed energy sources and develops tools to perform satellite and
space systems technical analyses.
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Joint Directed Energy Transition Office Planned
(posted: 3 February 2017)
The new National Defense Authorization Act requires the Department of Defense to establish a new position for a senior official with
principal responsibility for directed energy weapons with the support of a newly designated Joint Directed Energy Transition Office.
An update on plans for this office is on the agenda for the 29-30 March Directed Energy Summit in Washington, D.C.
More
and More.
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Robinson Speaks on High Power Electromagnetic Weapons
(posted: 24 January 2017)
Mary Lou Robinson, Chief of the High Power Electromagnetics Division of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base,
speaks on high power electromagnetic weapons and why we aren't using them. This 13-minute presentation was delivered at TEDxABQ in 2016.
More.
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Congress Gets Serious About Laser Weapons
(posted: 23 January 2017)
The U.S. military is set to see a 51 percent increase in funding to develop and procure laser weapons, a technologically-advanced
"game-changer" as troops prepare for new and growing asymmetric threats around the world.
Lawmakers cited the progress made by the Defense Department as a key reason for the boost.
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New Laser System Allows Longer Distance Battlefield Observation
(posted: 19 January 2017)
A new directed energy laser system could allow battlefield commanders to spy on enemy activities from space, using the Earth's atmosphere
as a giant lens. The system, developed by British defence company BAE systems, uses lasers to temporarily change the Earth's atmosphere
into lens-like structures, to magnify or change the path of electromagnetic waves such as light and radio signals.
More.
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New Laser Type Demonstrated
(posted: 17 January 2017)
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have demonstrated the world's first laser based on an unconventional wave physics
phenomenon called bound states in the continuum. The new lasers could be developed as high-power lasers for industrial and defense applications.
More.
Last updated: 15 January 2018
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