30-watt fiber laser stops a truck in Lockheed Martin test
NewsMarch 12, 2015
BETHESDA, Md. Lockheed Martin engineers performing a field test of the company’s Advanced Test High Energy Asset (ATHENA) – a 30-kilowatt fiber laser weapons system disabled the engine of a small truck and burned right through the engine manifold in only seconds.
“This test represents the next step to providing lightweight and rugged laser weapon systems for military aircraft, helicopters, ships and trucks,” says Keoki Jackson, chief technology officer at Lockheed Martin.
Company officials say this demonstration is the first field test of its 30-kilowatt, single-mode fiber laser weapon sys-tem prototype.
ATHENA integrates the 30-kilowattt Accelerated Laser Demonstration Initiative (ALADIN) fiber laser designed and developed by Lockheed Martin and is based on the Area Defense Anti-Munitions (ADAM) laser weapon sys-tem. Via a technique dubbed spectral beam combining, multiple fiber laser modules create a single, powerful, high-quality beam for efficiency and lethality.
