Army asks industry to develop 300-kilowatt laser weapons to provide aerial defense for soldiers and bases
Jan. 24, 2022
Laser weapons are to defend fixed and semi-fixed sites from rockets, artillery, mortars, UAVs, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and similar threats.
John Keller
Army Laser 24 Jan 2022
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – U.S. Army aerial defense experts are asking industry to develop prototype 300-kilowatt laser weapons to protect soldiers and installations from rockets, artillery shells, mortar rounds; unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and even more stressing threats.
Officials of the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., issued a call for white papers on Thursday for the three-year Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL) Prototypes project.
High-energy laser weapons significantly help the Army defend against low-cost threats on the modern battlefield, such as drones. The IFPC-HEL project will develop enabling technologies to help Army leaders protect fixed and semi-fixed sites from rockets, artillery, mortars, UAVs, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and similar threats.
https://www.militaryaerospace.com/power/article/14224038/300kilowatt-laser-weapons-aerial-defense
