US Amy awards contract for development of laser weapons system

News, US October 15, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S. Army has awarded a contract to the defense giant, Lockheed Martin, for the development of up to four 300 kW-class laser weapon systems. The contract has been awarded under the U.S. Army’s Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL) prototype program.

The U.S. Army has increased its focus on developing high-powered directed energy weapons and defense systems to replace the conventional aerial defense systems. The U.S. Army aims to use laser weapons systems to protect people and assets against short-range and long-range aerial threats.

According to the Vice President of Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Weapons, “Winning the IFPC-HEL prototype contract is the result of several years of complex program evolution, strategic investments, and partnership with the Army on this program.”

“Our mature directed energy technology enables Lockheed Martin to provide speed, agility, and 21st Century Security solutions to the Army,”

US Army IFPC-HEL Program

Lockheed Martin has been the primary contractor for most of the IFPC-HEL-related projects. Originally laid in 2019, the IFPC-HEL system would complement other layered defense components to protect soldiers from stressing threats, unmanned aerial systems, rockets, artillery, and mortars, along with rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.

*^{U.S. Army’s Indirect Fires Protection Capability-High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL) Demonstrator laser weapon system. (Image Credit: Lockheed Martin)}*

The first prototype developed by the company featured a 100 kW-class science and technology program, the High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL-TVD), which provided the foundation for the 300 kW-class IFPC-HEL demonstrator. In 2020, Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to develop compact, ruggedized 300 kW-class lasers for the Department of Defense.

In August of 2022, Lockheed Martin delivered the High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative (HELSI) laser for use in the IFPC-HEL demonstrator, which was the most powerful solid-state-directed energy technology delivered at that time.

Directed energy and laser weapons

The directed energy weapons and defense systems provide a safe and simple solution to address incoming aerial threats in volumes while operating at a lower cost compared to conventional aerial defense systems. Such aerial defense systems can provide a single solution to short-range as well as long-range aerial threats.

A rendering of Lockheed Martin’s 60-kilowatt laser mounted to a U.S. army truck. The laser beam would not be visible in real life. — *^{A rendering of Lockheed Martin’s 60-kilowatt laser mounted to a U.S. Army truck. The laser beam would not be visible in real life. (Image Credit: Lockheed Martin)}*

Currently, the U.S. Army uses separate systems for short-range air defense like SHORAD systems, and a totally different air defense system for long-range threats such as the Patriot Air and Missile Defense system, and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense or THAAD system. Through projects like IFPC-HEL, the U.S. Army plans to address the gap between the short-range and long-range missile defense systems into one setup.

Still, in the development phase, directed energy weapons are being developed and tested by several militaries around the world including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.