Boeing Working US Navy Laser Weapon

Mar 18, 2015 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Albuquerque Journal; published Mar 17, 2015)

Boeing Wins $30 Million Navy-Laser Contract

Boeing Co.’s Directed Energy Systems division in Albuquerque is leading a U.S. Navy effort to build a beam control system that can provide pinpoint accuracy for laser weapons on warships.

The company’s Defense, Space and Security unit, headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., won a $29.5 million contract with the Office of Naval Research to build a precision beam control system for ship-mounted solid-state lasers – building on truck-mounted laser systems developed for the Army.

For naval systems, the laser must be able to withstand harsh conditions at sea, said David DeYoung, director of Boeing’s Directed Energy Systems in Albuquerque, where all of the company’s directed-energy operations are centered.

“We’ll add new pieces to the system for operating in a naval environment, where there’s potential for sea spray and difficult atmospheric conditions” DeYoung said.

“Accuracy and functionality depend on how fine you can get the aim point and hold the beam,” said Boeing spokeswoman Queena Jones.

Boeing won’t build the lasers, just the beam control. (end of excerpt)


Click here for the full story, on the Albuquerque Journal website.