The US Department of War has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin to develop a 500 kW high-power laser weapon to counter large UAVs and cruise missiles.
Lockheed Martin is to develop a palletised 500 kW laser weapon to counter larger UAVs such as Class 3 kamikaze UAVs and cruise missiles per a new contract with the US Department of War.
Considering the power regime and the fact that Lockheed Martin’s previously shown 300 kW laser weapon was carried in a 20ft container to supply the needed power, the upcoming 500 kW laser might require an even larger accommodation. Thus, one could expect a 30 ft to 40 ft container that might require carriage by ship or trailer.
The laser weapon might also be used on the new “modern battleship” of the US Navy in the works, considering the correlation in terms of the power rating.
Laser weapons operationally rated to counter small UAVs at the moment are envisioned to evolve towards countering larger and faster airborne threats with increasing power, at lower costs than short-range air defence missiles and better chances than gun-based solutions.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
