The LWSD has more than twice the power
of the 60 kilowatt helio system the navy
received this year from Lockheed Martin
which was installed on an arleigh
burke-class destroyer. Northrep Grumman was awarded the
three-stage LWSD contract comprising
development ground testing and sea
trials in 2015.
The us navy began sea trials in may last
year, striking an unmanned aerial target
mid-air. In the latest test the laser struck a
floating target displaying a more
comprehensive target engagement range.
According to a lexington institute
report, a 150 kilowatt laser weapon is
capable of neutralizing unmanned aerial
vehicles, small boats, rockets, artillery
and mortars. Adding that the time frame
between a demonstrator and a deployable
weapon is relatively short. The navy has not revealed a time frame
for the laser's deployment, nor has its
range been disclosed.
According to the war zone, the system is
primarily a close-in defense system to
physically strike a range of aerial and
surface targets. The system can also be deployed as a
dazzler to blind optical sensors and
seeker systems of missiles and drones. Besides being used as a surveillance
system leveraging the integral full
motion video cameras.
The u.s navy has been developing
directed energy weapons, including lasers
since the 60s. According to the u.s
indo-pacific command directed energy
weapons are electromagnetic systems
capable of converting chemical or
electrical energy to radiated energy and
focusing it on a target. Resulting in
physical damage that degrades, neutralizes, defeats or destroys an
adversarial capability.
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