In 2014, the US Navy installed its first prototype SSL (solid state laser) capable of countering surface craft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on a Navy ship. The Navy since then has been developing and installing additional SSL prototypes with improved capability for countering surface craft and UAVs. Higher-power SSLs being developed by the Navy could have a capability for countering anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs).
Current Navy efforts to develop SSLs include
the Solid State Laser Technology Maturation (SSL-TM) effort;
the Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN);
the Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS) Increment 1, also known as the high-energy laser with integrated optical dazzler and surveillance (HELIOS); and
the High Energy Laser Counter-ASCM Program (HELCAP)
Optical Dazzler Interdictor Navy (ODIN) systems have been installed on eight Arleigh Burke(DDG-51) class destroyers. The first ODIN installation reportedly was done on the destroyer Dewey (DDG-105) in 2019.
The ODIN system is a laser weapon system that allows a ship to counter unmanned aerial (drones) systems.
SNLWS Increment 1 is called HELIOS, an acronym meaning high-energy laser with integrated optical dazzler and surveillance. The HELIOS effort is focused on rapid development and rapid fielding of a 60 kW-class high-energy laser (with growth potential to 150 kW) and dazzler in an integrated weapon system, for use in countering UAVs, small boats, and ISR sensors, and for combat identification and battle damage assessment.
HELIOS began land-based testing in 2021 and was installed on destroyer USS Preble (DDG-88) in December 2021.
300+ Kilowatt HELCAP Laser
The Navy’s FY2025 budget submission states that the High Energy Laser Counter-ASCM Program (HELCAP).
The HELCAP is an initiative that provides a flexible prototype system for government experimentation and demonstration of a high-energy laser system capable of defeating an anti-ship cruise missile. Key elements of the prototype system include the beam control testbed, 300 kW+ class laser source, prototype control system, and auxiliary prime power and cooling. The industry provider of the beam control testbed (developed under PE0603801N) was selected through a competitive process and is being designed to accept technology insertion from other industry providers. The 300+ kW class laser source willbe acquired by selecting one of the laser sources being developed under an Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) laser scaling initiative and adapting it for transport and interface with the other elements of the prototype system. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren (NSWCDD) will design and fabricate the control system and auxiliary prime power and cooling systems.
An additional Navy laser development effort is called the Layered Laser Defense (LLD) system.
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One of the more interesting aspects of laser weapons technology, is very “brief”, but tremendously intense laser “burst’s”. I’ve heard of energy in the terawatt range. Yes, very brief, but incredibly powerful. I’ve only seen one open source report about this level of energy delivered by laser to a target. And that report, is about 3years old. Sorry, I can’t recall the site I saw this on. But it seemed well researched, with excellent references. I noticed that. Interesting things happen if your able to deliver that level of energy to a target, even for a fraction of a millisecond.
Most importantly “how” the laser impacts it’s target changes. It doesn’t “burn threw” it’s target, it blows it up. It’s a concussive effect, the “shockwave” that travels threw the target, ripps it apart. Rather cool, actually. So, I’ll be watching what’s reported.
This one is already big enough to take down commercial drones.
For your one-stop for all things laser look here:
https://projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/spacegunconvent2.php
Continuous lasers are more like big heaters, with the downside of heating the laser about as much as the target.
They talk a lot about how pulse lasers are better.
60 kW for 1 second is 60 kJ. If you can do 60 kJ as pulse of 0,001 second the power intensity becomes 60 MW, and if your spot is small enough you can then flash boil steel, creating a explosion on the target.
Your right about “the heat problem”. Energy imparted into a laser, heats the laser up first, before it imparts any energy to it’s “target”. Ooops… (Guess you didn’t read the fine print in the manual) Hey, laser weapons are VERY new. Were making it up as we go, no kidding. IMO, your right about the “pulse laser power”. First, one can deliver a very intense, and utterly destructive but very brief laser burst. Parts of the target are actually vaporized, but most of it, explodes. Hell, works for me… Bottom line? The target threating you, is destroyed.
In the future, we should be able to receive “feedback” from a laser weapon, that can evaluate the materials of the weapon targeting you, are composed of. Why? So you can “tune” the frequency of the laser to take out your pain in the a** target, as quickly as possible. A laser, is information dense. One “can play” with that, a whole lot… So, lets play…