Kirtland AFB NM (SPX) Apr 08, 2024 - The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL's, Directed Energy Directorate, completed the build of its new Government Radiometrically-Accurate Instrument for Laser Evaluation Version II, or GRAILE-II, system Jan. 18, 2024. The diagnostic system will be used to validate the performance of the Department of Defense, or DOD's, most powerful high-energy laser systems. According to Dr. Joseph Cox, GRAILE-II technical lead at the Directed Energy Directorate, AFRL can use GRAILE-II to evaluate the performance of industry-developed laser-based weapon systems to ens ..read more

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 18, 2024 - Severe symptoms from the mysterious "Havana syndrome," suffered by U.S. diplomats and military personnel overseas, show no evidence of having caused brain injury or biological abnormalities, the National Institutes of Health announced Monday. The NIH conducted two studies over nearly five years, which were published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers used advanced imaging techniques, including MRIs, to examine federal employees stationed in Havana and other parts of the world, who had complained of anomalous health inciden ..read more

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 21, 2023 - Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE: RTX) has recently secured a significant contract to enhance the U.S. military's defensive capabilities. Under a three-year, $31.3 million contract awarded by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Raytheon will embark on designing, building, and testing two high-power microwave (HPM) antenna systems. These systems represent a leap forward in defense technology, utilizing directed energy to neutralize airborne threats effectively and instantaneously. The essence of this contract is rooted in the developme ..read more

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Nov 28, 2023 - In a significant advancement for space technology, Above: Space Development, in collaboration with Electric Sky, has successfully tested the Archimedes platform, a novel, rapidly deployable, free-flying on-orbit system. This platform marks a new era in space infrastructure, encompassing a wide range of functions including solar panels, beamed power, and electronically steerable antenna arrays for communications and monitoring. Rhonda Stevenson, CEO of Above: Space, highlighted the platform's capabilities, stating, "Above: Space conducted a flawless ground-t ..read more

Bothell WA (SPX) Oct 16, 2023 - Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to develop and supply up to four 300 kW-class laser weapon systems. The systems will be part of the U.S. Army's Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL) prototype initiative, a program designed to provide a more effective defense against a range of threats including unmanned aerial systems, rocket fire, artillery, and both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. Rick Cordaro, vice president of Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Weapons, commented on the contract, stating, "Winning the ..read more

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 16, 2023 - In the face of increasing rocket attacks and large-scale border incursions from Gaza, resulting in thousands dead, Israel is pressed to reconsider its defense strategies. The costs associated with operating the Iron Dome and other existing missile defense systems are mounting rapidly. This has led the Israeli government to urgently request Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to fast-track the deployment of Iron Beam, initially planned for 2025. Iron Beam: A Cost-Effective Approach Iron Beam is no novice technology; it's the product of two decades of laser te ..read more

London, UK (SPX) Sep 20, 2023 - Raytheon UK is set to receive its first high-energy laser weapon system to be tested and integrated in the United Kingdom, marking a significant advancement in the understanding of how such systems can be fielded. Raytheon UK is the British unit of RTX's (NYSE: RTX) Raytheon business. Designed to stop aerial threats such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), this 15-kilowatt laser is the latest development in the UK Ministry of Defence's Land Demonstrator programme. Raytheon UK was contracted in 2021 to develop and install the laser system on a UK Wolfhound armor ..read more

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 30, 2023 - Lockheed Martin, the American aerospace titan, is breaking its power records in laser technology by escalating to a groundbreaking 500-kilowatt (kW) class laser. This development outstrips its previously highest achievement of a 300 kW-class laser, developed under a Department of Defense (DoD) contract. The new 500 kW-class laser system is a significant step in the High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative (HELSI), funded through a fresh contract from the DoD's Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E). The current phas ..read more

Kirtland AFB NM (SPX) May 17, 2023 - The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, conducted a demonstration, April 5, 2023, of its high-power microwave counter drone weapon, the Tactical High-power Operational Responder, or THOR, as it engaged a swarm of multiple targets at the Chestnut Test Site, Kirtland Air Force Base. "The THOR team flew numerous drones at the THOR system to simulate a real-world swarm attack," said Adrian Lucero, THOR program manager at AFRL's Directed Energy Directorate. "THOR has never been tested against these types of drones before, but this did not stop the system fr ..read more

Washington (AFP) Feb 14, 2023 - The United States on Monday criticized China's reported use of military-grade laser light against a Philippine coast guard vessel in the disputed South China Sea last week, which left the ship's crew temporarily blinded. State Department Ned Price said the Chinese coastguard's "conduct was provocative and unsafe, resulting in the temporary blindness of the crew members." "The United States stands with our Philippine allies in the face of the People's Republic of China Coast Guard's reported use of laser devices against the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard ship ..read more