Laser Weapon System

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Photo of the Laser Weapon System (LaWS) – KTM prototype

The Laser Weapon System or LaWS is a directed-energy weapon developed by the United States Navy. The weapon is to be installed on the USS Ponce for field testing in 2014.[1][2][3]

In 2010, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions was awarded an 11-million-dollar contract to develop LaWS in support of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) for the U.S. Navy’s Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems (DE&EWS) program.[4] The May 2012 NSWC test used a CIWS control system to enable the beam director to track the UAV target.[5]

The intended use of the LaWS is ship-defense against drones or small-boat attackers (whether suicidal or not); the LaWS at present is not designed to engage incoming missiles, large aircraft, ships, or submerged objects. LaWS utilizes a solid-state infrared beam which can be tuned to high output to destroy the target or low output to warn or cripple the sensors of a target. Among the advantages of this device versus projectile weapons is the low cost per shot, as each firing of the weapon requires only the minimal cost of generating the energetic pulse; by contrast, projectile weapons must be designed, handled, and transported, take up storage space, and require maintenance.

The LaWS will be installed on the USS Ponce in summer 2014 for a 12-month trial deployment. The Navy spent about $40 million over the past six years on research, development, and testing of the laser weapon. It will be directed to targets by the Phalanx CIWS radar. If tests go well, the Navy could deploy a laser weapon operationally between 2017 and 2021 with an effective range of 1 mi (1.6 km; 0.87 nmi). The exact level of power the LaWS will use is unknown but estimated between 15-50 kW for engaging small aircraft and high-speed boats. Directed-energy weapons are being pursued for economic reasons, as they can be fired for as little as one dollar per shot, while conventional gun rounds and missiles can cost thousands of dollars each. The Navy has a history of testing energy weapons, including megawatt chemical lasers in the 1980s. Their chemicals were found to be too hazardous for shipboard use, so they turned to less powerful fiber solid-state lasers. Other types can include slab solid state and free electron lasers.[6]

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References

  1. ↑ Luis Martinez (09 APR 2013). "Navy's New Laser Weapon Blasts Bad Guys From Air, Sea". ABC. Retrieved 9 April 2013. 
  2. ↑ Jonathan Skillings (08 APR 2013). "U.S. Navy sees shipboard laser weapon coming soon". CNET. Retrieved 9 April 2013. 
  3. ↑ "US to deploy new laser weapon to Persian Gulf". Russia Today. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013. 
  4. ↑ "Kratos Awarded $11 Million Contract to Support the Navy Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems and Total Ship Training System Program Offices". GlobeNewswire. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2013. 
  5. ↑ "NEWS - LAWS". Retrieved 2013-04-12. 
  6. ↑ Navy’s Laser Gun Nears Critical Test - Nationaldefensemagazine.com, 29 January 2014


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