David J. Barton
Lockheed Martin has unveiled a transportable, 10-kilowatt fiber laser designed for short-range defense against rockets and other unmanned aerial systems.
According to a company statement, the Area Defense Anti-Munitions system can seek out a UAS target within a range of 1.5 to 2 kilometers.
The Bethesda, Md., global security and aerospace company said it has been demonstrating the ground-based military laser's capabilities since August.
(Click Here, to read stories from GovCon Wire about the iron dome missile defense system, used extensively in the recent Israel-Hamas conflict.)
“Lockheed Martin has invested in the development of the ADAM system because of the enormous potential effectiveness of high-energy lasers,“ said Doug Graham, Lockheed Martin's vice president of advanced programs for strategic and missile defense systems.
The system can be operated independently or in tandem with an external radar cue.
It has a tracking range of up to 5 kilometers, even in cluttered optical environments, the company said.
The proprietary laser beam control architecture is incorporated into the commercial hardware, said Paul Shattuck, director of directed energy systems for Lockheed's strategic and missile defense systems.
“Lockheed Martin has applied its expertise as a laser weapon system integrator to provide a practical and affordable defense against serious threats to military forces and installations,“ he added.
