Combatcapable lasers are now coming on line in both the Navy and the AirForce. That should mean general deployment inside the next fiveyears. And at this weight, they can be mounted on a ground vehiclealso. Actual battle utility is presently assumed with nothing beensaid.
Thistechnology can only improve and improve greatly over the next decadeor so. Thus if not now, it is a game changer. If rapid fire becomespossible, then a radar controlled line of sight defense dome becomespossible in which even artillery can be intercepted.
Itcan become way more effective than missile systems that have takendecades to become effective.
150 kilowatt lasers will be installed in US Fighter planes asearly as 2014
JANUARY 25, 2013
http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/01/150-kilowatt-lasers-will-be-installed.html
The goal of theHELLADS (High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System) program is todevelop a 150 kilowatt (kW) laser weapon system that is ten timessmaller and lighter than current lasers of similar power,enabling integration onto tactical aircraft to defend against anddefeat ground threats. With a weight goal of less than five kilogramsper kilowatt, and volume of three cubic meters for the laser system,HELLADS seeks to enable high-energy lasers to be integrated ontotactical aircraft, significantly increasing engagement rangescompared to ground-based systems.
The program hascompleted laboratory testing of a fundamental building block forHELLADS, a single laser module that successfully demonstrated theability to achieve high power and beam quality from a significantlylighter and smaller laser. The program is now in the finaldevelopment phase where a second laser module will be built andcombined with the first module to generate 150 kW of power.
The HELLADSis expected to have a maximum weight of 750kg.
General Atomicshas the contract to deliver the lasers. Textron Defense Systemsand Northrop Grumman also have laser development involvement.
We had coverage in2009 of earlier laser work by Textron and General Atomics
The United StatesNavy and Air Force will be installing “liquid-cooled, solid-statelasers” in combat airplanes. The lasers will shoot downmissiles and rockets targeted at the planes. Firing tests will happenas soon as next year.
DARPAcontinues funding for Phase 3 of the Lockheed MartinAero-Adaptive/Aero-Optic Beam Control (ABC) program, intended toallow a self-defense laser on a high-speed fighter to shoot aft andsidewards through the turbulent flowfield behind the laser turret.
Here is the DARPApage for the Aero-Adaptive/Aero-Optic Beam Control (ABC) program.
Here is the DARPApage for the Architecture for Diode High Energy Laser Systems(ADHELS) ADHELS is dedicated to investigating new wavelengthlaser beam-combining architectures to produce a new generation ofcompact high-efficiency, high-energy laser (HEL) systems. Such anarchitecture complements current programs developing airborne-based,megawatt-class chemical lasers and ground-based, multihundredkilowatt-class solid-state slab lasers by providing a new class ofHELs with record-low size, weight and waste power that can beintegrated onto tactical air vehicles.
The solid-statelasers are candidates for the U.S. Army's High-Energy LaserTechnology Demonstrator program to test a truck-mounted (of Humvvee)system in 2013-15 that can counter rocket, artillery and mortarprojectiles.
DARPA high energylaser project budgets are reviewed here
SOURCES - DARPA,Aviation Week, Technology Review
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