DIRD_23-DIRD_State_of_the_Art_and_Evolution_of_High-Energy_Laser_Weapons.pdf

UNCLASSIFIED / / POT OPPterel esr ontr Defense Intelligence Reference Document hmmzz=. Acquisition Threat Support 31 March 2010 ICOD: 1 December 2009 DIA-08-1003-019 State of the Art and Evolution of High-Energy Laser Weapons UNCLASSIFIED / / P@R-OFFEGHEUSE-CNntYr™

UNCLASSIFIED // ®@8e@FEtG= SSO State of the Art and Evolution of High-Energy Laser Weapons Prepared by: (b)(3):10 USC 424 Detense Intelligence Agency Author: (b)(6). Administrative Note COPYRIGHT WARNING: Further dissemination of the photographs in this publication is not authorized. This product is one in a series of advanced technology reports produced in FY 2009 under the Defense Intelligence Agency, |(b)(3): 10 use 424 Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications (AAWSA) Progra. comments or questions pertaining to this document should be addressed to (b)(3): 10 USC 224; (bV6) AAWSA Progra…

UNCLASSIFIED // B66 ==tGh=eSehEs Contents SUIMIM ALY «occ cece eee cence nee e ean eeaene ne ne meneame nena nace ene casesesasenesaenensneesasacnnasenerasaaasananenaeneanas Vv INMtroductiOn ... 2... 2... esecceceecesescnctecesescececevccccecscsusecnenetevenenceenscenverrenstcevevesevavsrsenuneavarer 1 Basic Attributes of Kinetic Energy and HEL Weapons ..........cccccceeececeeneeececereceanees 1 Elements of an HEL Weapon 7.00... lee eee ee cecneecnceececcececoecescersecescersecescceeroseersess 2 LaSe@r D@VICOS oo... ccc csesc nonce etene rene teaeceaencenseceecasanscsnanenatecsscnananscacenssa…

UNCLASSIFIED / A5@-R-@EEEGE Smee Figure 7. Incoherent Combination of Single Mode Lasers in a Fiber Combiner ....... 9 Figure 8. Free-Electron Laser Wiggler .............::cccesecsecceecceecucecacerareracscavacevenavererane 11 Figure 9. Elements of the 2 kW FEL at Thomas Jeffereson National Accelerator FaCility .........cecccceccceneeerecereneseneceserenscasenasenananarsnanseacsnaccratspacseatanarsretseasars 12 Figure 10. HEL Weapon Basic Tracking and Pointion Controls............cccscseseseceseees 14 Figure 11. SeaLite Beam Director... ceeececesecccnececcecreneccnensrerceersestsuccorsceuces 14…

UNCLASSIFIED / A5@=6=Et-GEH= SO hie State of the Art and Evolution of High-Energy Laser Weapons Summary The laser was invented in 1960, only 49 years ago, and (along with the light- emitting diode) has evolved into an essential part of our modern every-day life in ways that could not have been foreseen, On the military side, there have also been incredible advances in laser and beam control technologies but no deployment of any high-energy weapons. Many concepts have been developed and pursued, only to be discarded or deferred owing to technical immaturity, expected production cost, lack of ap…

UNCLASSIFIED / /®@?°@ PEGE ESO Introduction The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art and potential evolution of megawatt (MW) class high-energy laser (HEL) weapons. Implications for space vehicles in or beyond earth orbit will be addressed. It is rare today to find an individual who doesn’t have some concept of a laser weapon. From Orson Wells’s Martian invaders in War of the Worlds, who used them with chilling efficiency, to the now-classic Star Wars movies, the capabilities attributed to such devices have grown with time and with writers’ imaginati…

UNCLASSIFIED // P@e@FtGh = eS Ont HEL and Kinetic Weapons offer complementary capabilities Soft/Small/Fast Movingtactical Missiles & Hardened or E/O sensors Vehicles Satellites Large Area (Dazzle ar Destroy) Cell towers & comm nodes ICeMs Tanks Target Target tagging Radar antennas IRBMs Armored vehicles Types Fire starting Power grids TheaterBMs Bridges Small UAVs Ceramic RF radomes Cruise missiles Buildings Manpads Military UAVs Satellites Groups of people Individual persons Rockets, artillery & mortars =—— increasing Laser Power or increasing Range for Same Fifect —» Laser Power Laser Weapon…

UNCLASSIFIED/ High Power taser High Power Optics Pointer/Tracker/ Atmospheric Target Device and Beam Shaping Target Designator Propagation TRACKER wy ON ea 1 / :! 2 POINTER “+. i 4-- se ae es ioe a mancet ne — |_| pn DESIGNATOR . me a Atmospheric Ra rN 3 v aN absorption, ? Aka scattering, and turbulence ENERGY SOURCE Figure 2. Elements of an HEL Weapon System Laser Devices LASER FUNDAMENTALS The term “Laser” is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It is a unique device that employs the quantum states of matter to store and convert energy into electromagnetic …