US Army moves forward with 100kW laser weapon system

摘要

Dynetics and Lockheed Martin have been awarded $10m (£7.7m) for the next phase of development in the US Army's 100kW-class laser weapon system.The 100kW weapon is being developed for the army's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) and incorporates a ruggedised design and subsystems for battlefield conditions. The next phase of the programme will build towards a preliminary designreview of the of the High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HELTVD) in January 2019."Hostile unmanned aerial systems and rockets, artillery and mortars present an increasing threat," said lain McKinnie, business development lead for advanced laser solutions and strategy, Lockheed Martin. "Laser weapons offer a deep magazine and very low cost per shot, making them ideally suited to complement existing kinetic energy weapons.