Lockheed Martin Unveils Revolutionary 60kW Laser System for U.S. Army Prowess

BOTHELL, Wash., March 16, 2017 — Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has completed the design, development, and demonstration of a 60 kW-class beam-combined fiber laser for the U.S. Army.

In recent evaluations, the Lockheed Martin laser generated a singular beam of 58 kW, establishing a world record in this category. The Lockheed Martin team has met all contractual obligations for the laser system and is preparing for its deployment to the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command in Huntsville, Alabama.

“The delivery of this laser marks a significant milestone in the journey toward deploying a functional laser weapon system,” stated Paula Hartley, vice president and general manager for Lockheed Martin’s Cyber, Ships & Advanced Technologies sector based in Owego, New York. “This success was achieved through a robust partnership between the U.S. Army and Lockheed Martin; we are excited to provide this system for their integration and evaluation.”

Lockheed Martin’s laser system is a beam-combined fiber laser, integrating individual lasers generated through fiber optics to form a singular, powerful laser beam. This architecture allows for a scalable laser system that can increase in power by adding more fiber laser subunits. The system is based on a design initiated under the Department of Defense’s Robust Electric Laser Initiative Program, further enhanced through investments by Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Army into a 60kW-class solution.

“The inherent scalability of this beam-combined laser system has enabled us to produce the first 60kW-class fiber laser for the U.S. Army,” noted Robert Afzal, Ph.D., senior fellow in Laser and Sensor Systems. “We have shown that a powerful directed energy laser is now lightweight, compact, and reliable enough for deployment on tactical vehicles for defensive use on land, at sea, and in the air.”

According to Afzal, the Lockheed Martin team developed a laser beam that nearly achieved a “diffraction-limited” status, indicating it was close to the physical limits for focusing energy onto a single, minute point. During testing, the laser system demonstrated high efficiency, converting over 43 percent of the electricity it consumed directly into the emitted laser beam.

Laser weapons enhance traditional kinetic munitions on the battlefield. In the future, they will deliver reliable defense against threats like drone swarms or large numbers of rockets and mortars. In 2015, the company deployed a 30kW fiber laser weapon, named ATHENA, to incapacitate a vehicle from a mile away.

For over 40 years, Lockheed Martin has been at the forefront of laser weapon systems, advancing precise targeting and control, line-of-sight stabilization, and adaptive optics — crucial elements in harnessing and directing laser beam power. Lockheed Martin is intent on creating a range of laser weapon systems designed for various power levels to tackle missions across maritime, aerial, and terrestrial platforms.