DefenceTalkThe Army used a vehicle-mounted high-energy laser for the first time to successfully engage more than 90 mortar rounds and several unmanned aerial vehicles in flight. The Army High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator, or HEL MD, underwent multiple test events between Nov. 18 and Dec. 10, at White Sands Missile Range. This was the first […]https://www.defencetalk.com/army-tests-vehicle-mounted-laser-against-multiple-targets-49920/

DefenceTalkMichigan State University research has put the possibility of bomb-detecting lasers at security checkpoints within reach. In the current issue of Applied Physics Letters, Marcos Dantus, MSU chemistry professor and founder of BioPhotonic Solutions, has developed a laser that can detect micro traces of explosive chemicals on clothing and luggage. “Since this method uses a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/bomb-detecting-lasers-could-improve-security-checkpoints-49046/

DefenceTalkJust as sunglasses protect the wearer’s eyes from the ultraviolet rays of the summer sun, some materials protect eyes and sensors from laser devices. U.S. Army Research Laboratory scientists are looking at findings from university partners to determine which materials provide the most effective protection against lasers. “Bringing new levels of protection from lasers to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/army-scientists-collaborate-for-stronger-laser-protection-48767/

DefenceTalkAt a ceremony attended by Jean-Marc Ayrault, Prime Minister of France, and Victor Ponta, Prime Minister of Romania, Thales today signed a contract worth €60 million to develop a high-intensity laser system at the Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH) in Magurele, near Bucharest. The Thales laser system will generate an […]https://www.defencetalk.com/thales-to-develop-worlds-most-powerful-laser-for-romania-48468/

DefenceTalkRaytheon Company has initiated an internally funded program to enhance its combat-proven 155mm Excalibur GPS-guided projectile with a new guidance and navigation unit (GNU) with a semi-active laser (SAL) end-game targeting capability. Addition of the SAL seeker will allow the munition to attack moving targets, attack targets that have re-positioned after firing, or change the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/raytheon-unveils-excalibur-with-dual-mode-guidance-48218/

DefenceTalkLockheed Martin recently delivered the first Modernized Day Sensor Assembly (M-DSA) Laser Range Finder Designator (LRFD) to the U.S. Army for the AH-64D/E Apache helicopter. “The new laser is the first component to be fielded in the Modernized Day Sensor Assembly,” said Lt. Col. Steve Van Riper, U.S. Army product manager of Apache Sensors. “The […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-laser-range-finders-for-apache-helicopter-48062/

DefenceTalkIn the wake of the recent announcement that laser weapons will be put on U.S. Navy ships, the need for reliable, high-voltage shipboard power has become a matter of national security, officials said at this week’s Electric Ship Technologies Symposium outside Washington, D.C. The Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored event featured some of the world’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/lasers-bring-new-urgency-to-electric-power-research-47616/

DefenceTalkCiting a series of technological breakthroughs, Navy leaders announced plans Apr. 8 at the Sea-Air-Space exposition to deploy for the first time a solid-state laser aboard a ship in fiscal year 2014. “Our directed energy initiatives, and specifically the solid-state laser, are among our highest priority science and technology programs. The solid-state laser program is […]https://www.defencetalk.com/navy-leaders-announce-plans-for-deploying-cost-saving-laser-technology-47414/