 Directed energy expertise is key to integrating laser weapons on ships. Detailed view of the LaWS fitted on top of the bridge on board USS Ponce. |
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The resulting
beam control system will focus and hold a laser on a moving aimpoint long
enough to disable the target. Doing that with a ship-based laser is particularly
challenging, given the maritime environment and constant movement of an
at-sea vessel. “Boeing innovations in beam control and directed energy technologies are keys to understanding laser weapon system configurations that could yield a capability for the Navy in their maritime environment,” said Peggy Morse, vice president, Boeing Directed Energy & Strategic Systems (DESS). The Boeing beam control system capitalizes on the company’s work with the U.S. Army’s High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD). In demonstrations at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida in 2014, in which Navy program team members participated, HEL MD acquired, tracked and destroyed targets in windy and foggy conditions. Important technical data was collected on energy systems within a maritime environment, which ONR shared with the Army and Boeing. HEL MD has disabled mortars and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) during recent testing. |
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Boeing System Could Bring Precision to Laser Weapons on US Navy Ships
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