Truck Mounted High Energy Laser For Destroying Incoming Rocket and Artillery To Be Tested Next Year

October 7, 2012. David Pugliese - Defence Watch

News release from Boeing:

Under a follow-on contractual effort from the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), Boeing will continue developing a truck-mounted directed energy system that improves warfighters’ ability to counter rockets, artillery, mortars and unmanned aerial threats.

Under the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD) Phase II High-Power Testing follow-on contract, Boeing will incorporate a 10-kilowatt, solid-state laser with the HEL MD system. There is an option to subsequently incorporate a more powerful laser. The effort reduces the risk for future high-power laser integration.

“The Boeing HEL MD program is applying the best of solid-state laser technology to ensure the Army has speed-of-light capability to defend against rockets, artillery, mortars, and unmanned aerial threats — both today and into the future,” said Mike Rinn, Boeing Directed Energy Systems vice president and program director. “High power testing represents a critical step forward for this innovative directed energy system.”

HEL MD is a joint development effort involving Boeing and the Army. This follow-on contract will support development and testing for the next three years. The team will conduct field tests of the HEL MD system using the high-power, solid-state laser during the next year. These tests will demonstrate the system’s ability to acquire, track, damage and defeat threat-representative targets.

“Phase II will allow us to build on the great work we have accomplished over the past several years with SMDC,” said Blaine Beardsley, HEL MD program manager for Boeing. “Our team is eager to demonstrate that this revolutionary system is capable of saving lives and ready for the battlefield.”