US Army funds Lockheed Combat Laser as an alternative to Boeing HEL-MD Truck Mounted Combat Laser

The Boeing HEL-MD program currently mounts an off-the-shelf 10-kilowatt laser, but it will be upgraded in 2016 to a custom-built 50-60 kW weapon, with potential for 100 kW and above. It’s already shot down drones and mortar rounds, and the higher power levels should make it capable against rockets and even artillery shells.

“There is some concern out there that maybe the services [Army, Navy, Air Force] are being redundant [they each have at least one laser program], [but] it reflects the importance of that technology,” Mann told the conference in his public remarks. “The services are using this technology to look at different threat sets.”

Mann also mentioned that there are some very exciting cyber weapons and electronic warfare weapons. However, the programs are very, very classified, very, very compartmentalized programs, so I can’t go into a lot of specific areas.

The US is developing complex layered defenses with interceptors, directed energy, non-kinetic, cyber.

Boeing HEL-MD truck laser

Another Lockheed laser program, Aculight which may or may not be technology applied to the Army contract

SOURCE- Breaking Defense