Solid State Laser News

[CJohnston]

So were previous efforts where they had claimed they had gone through and matured multiple generations of systems..Have been seeing this and hearing it from their folks for a long time..Meanwhile, it would be interesting to get an update from them on their actual funded HEL system (300kW) where they are partnered with Boeing IIRC.

Which previous airborne platforms weren't IRAD for GA? Their partnership with Boeing to put an airborne laser on some Boeing aircraft was IRAD (which branched off the OSD Boeing-GA-ASI partnership for the 300kW laser) and so is the current F-15 proposal

 

[bring_it_on]

Which previous airborne platforms weren't IRAD for GA? Their partnership with Boeing to put an airborne laser on some Boeing aircraft was IRAD (which branched off the OSD Boeing-GA-ASI partnership for the 300kW laser) and so is the current F-15 proposal

I don't remember exact internal program names but GA folks highlighted internal investments they made that positioned them on HELLADS and other similar efforts towards SWaP optimized HEL's. I have been hearing this from them since at least 2013.

 

[CJohnston]

I don't remember exact internal program names but GA folks highlighted internal investments they made that positioned them on HELLADS and other similar efforts towards SWaP optimized HEL's. I have been hearing this from them since at least 2013.

Okay yeah, that makes more sense. Most of their work on airborne lasers has been for SWaP optimization (like the aforementioned 250kW airborne laser with Boeing).

Doing a cursory look it seems like the MQ-9's laser has been in development for at least several years with IRAD funding. A report in 2021 mentioned a similar setup to the one under contract for the USAF and USMC now. It's a similar (if not identical) setup to their current program which is no longer running on IRAD funds.

Testing is supposed to start this year so I guess now it's just the waiting game to see if there are any actual announcements about it.

Appreciate the info

 

[bring_it_on]

Testing is supposed to start this year so I guess now it's just the waiting game to see if there are any actual announcements about it.

Perhaps I'm just getting old but "we'll be testing it out this summer / fall / later in the winter..." has also been a very consistent theme from them in the last decade.

Again, when they actually deliver things or show actual test footage, I will believe them. Looks like a PR stunt to me.

 

[CJohnston]

Perhaps I'm just getting old but "we'll be testing it out this summer / fall / later in the winter..." has also been a very consistent theme from them in the last decade.

Again, when they actually deliver things or show actual test footage, I will believe them. Looks like a PR stunt to me.

Scott is usually good to us when it comes to stuff like this (operative word: usually), so I'll take your word for it

You've been in the game longer than me hahahah

 

[bring_it_on]

Given the rate at which the Houthis are shooting down their drones...repurposing them for CUAS might be an effective pitch so they might pull something like this off like a fielding a 25-30kW airborne HEL say in the next 10-15 years.