WEAPONS -- DEW-Laser

3.8 DEW-Laser

3.8.1 Warfighter Needs

The DoD requires improved or new capabilities in strategic and tactical missile defense, cruise missile defense, satellite negation, high resolution imagery, air defense, ship defense, ground combat and close support, and aircraft self-protection. All of these requirements can be addressed by laser weapon systems. Laser and optical system technology offers the potential for a paradigm shift in weapon systems for the 21st century:

Long range, speed-of-light delivery to target
Graduated engagements, from disrupt to destroy
Surgical - minimum collateral damage, low fratricide
Multiple, low-cost shots - large number of kills per platform
All-aspect engagements - unconstrained by kinematics or gravity
Synergism with high resolution optical sensing - imaging, surveillance, standoff detection

These advantages will provide dramatic improvements in current weapon capabilities and enable new missions which are not currently possible. In the near to mid-term, this includes transition of semiconductor laser technology to non-lethal weapons (illumination, designation, dazzling) and medical laser applications. In the long term, potential new weapon capabilities include the Airborne Laser (ABL) for boost phase negation of theater and cruise missiles at long range; Ground-Based Laser (GBL) for negation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites; Space-Based Laser (SBL) for theater/national missile defense, Anti Satellite (ASAT), and surveillance; moderate-power laser systems for robust infrared countermeasures; passive and active laser/optical systems for remote sensing/standoff detection; laser weapons for anti-ship missile defense; and laser weapons for platform/base self-protection and offensive capabilities in tactical engagements.

3.8.2 Overview

3.8.2.1 Goals and Timeframes. Technology development and demonstration efforts are oriented to establish a mature and comprehensive technology basis to support laser weapon systems development decisions. In many cases, this requires an integrated demonstration of laser and optical technology components and subsystems. Major goals and associated time frames include the following:

Application/Mission	Short-term (1-2 years)	Mid-term (3-5 years)	Long-term (6+ years)
Airborne Laser (ABL) for boost-phase negation of theater missiles at long range (up to 600 km).	COIL device, atmospheric measurements, adaptive optics, and beam control technology to support ABL demonstrator development.	Demo adaptive optics and beam control technology to assure ABL design meets operational performance requirements.	Advanced COIL, adaptive optics, and beam control technology to provide 20-30% increase in ABL operational range.
Ground-Based Laser (GBL) for negation of LEO satellites.	COIL device technology at baseline levels; feasibility demos of adaptive optics for atmospheric compensation and active satellite tracking.	Integrated beam control demo - fullscale demo of weapons-class performance for all atmospheric compen-sation and beam control functions.	Advanced COIL, adaptive optics, and beam control technology to support design optimization and performance growth for GBL ASAT system development.
Space-Based Laser (SBL) for TMD, NMD, ASAT, air defense, surveillance, air superiority above the clouds.	Integrated ground performance demo at HPW-class HF chemical laser, 4-meter segmented telescope, out-going wave-front control.	Demonstrated acquisition, tracking technology. Preliminary ground demo of prototype SBL system.	Integrated SBL space demo of missile-killing system
Laser system for IR countermeasures, based on damage/destroy mechanisms.		Establish vulnerability of target set; demo laser device feasibility and scaling for selected wavelength.	Ground demo of integrated laser system performance against IR-guided missile HW in realistic scenarios.
Laser weapons for anti-ship missile defense.	Evaluate target lethality & utility of various laser concepts for ASMD. Demo 1 kW FEL.
Semiconductor/ solid-state laser sources and integrated beam control.	Transition semiconductor laser technology to non-lethal and medical applications.	Demo architecture for scaleable, coherent semi- conductor laser diode arrays; demo concept for electronic beam steering.	Demo coherent array scaling to moderate and high power; establish feasibility of con-formal arrays and integrated laser source/beam control.

3.8.2.2 Major Technical Challenges. For laser devices, the major technical challenges are increasing laser device efficiency and reducing system size and weight to meet platform constraints and scaling to high power while maintaining good beam quality. For some applications, the laser device must also operate at a specific wavelength or in a particular wavelength band. Major technical challenges for beam control include 1) development and demonstration of adaptive optics hardware to compensate for distortions in the beam train and in propagation to the target; 2) application of laser beacon concepts to sense distortions caused by atmospheric turbulence; 3) rejection of high-bandwidth jitter induced by platform and atmospheric turbulence; 4) compensation for tilt anisoplanatism; 5) active tracking and illuminator/target effects; 6) aimpoint designation and maintenance; and 7) overall beam control system integration and performance evaluation. In the area of laser effects, the major technical challenge is to determine the materials, configuration, functional characteristics, and vulnerability of potential targets. A second challenge is development of modeling and simulation tools to determine weapon system effectiveness. Another challenge is to establish accurate safety thresholds for the protection of personnel.

3.8.2.3 Related Federal and Private Sector Efforts. DoD organizations have primary responsibility for development and application of high power laser technology. However, there is some complementary activity within DOE and industry. Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories have laser source development and some beam control programs, with emphasis on laser fusion (Livermore) and power beaming (Sandia) applications. As a direct spin-off of DoD research, the civilian astronomy community has embraced adaptive optics and laser beacon sensing technology to improve resolution of ground-based telescopes by compensating for distortions introduced by atmospheric turbulence.

3.8.3 S&T Investment Strategy

3.8.3.1 Technology Demonstrations. Laser DEW technology development encompasses several demonstrations, intended to establish a level of technology maturity which supports transition to systems development programs. Major demonstrations support three DTOs:

Airborne Laser (ABL) Technology Demonstration (WE.04)
Space-Based Laser (SBL) Technology Demonstration (WE.04)
Ground-Based Laser (GBL) Integrated Beam Control Demonstration (WE.10)
Infrared Countermeasures (IRCM) Demonstration (WE.19)
Laser Diode Array Demonstration (WE.19)

3.8.3.2 Technology Development. Technology development efforts complement the technology demonstration efforts described above to fully support laser weapons system development decisions and lay the foundations for future demonstration efforts to address longer-term military applications and capabilities. Major task areas include:

Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL) device technology, with emphasis on improved efficiency and lightweight designs to reduce system weight and improve operational suitability.
Advanced laser technology, considering new lasing concepts and target interaction phenomenology with the potential to further improve laser power per unit weight and overall military effectiveness.
Non-linear optics technology, with the potential to produce frequency-agile laser sources and, by phase conjugation, to automatically correct for phase distortions in an optical train or propagation path for both laser propagation and imaging applications.
Passive and active high-resolution imaging technology, including concepts for image reconstruction, real-time processing, and aperture synthesis, both to support laser weapon functions (target verification, aimpoint designation and maintenance, damage assessment) and to provide situational awareness in both terrestrial and Earth-orbit (out to geosynchronous altitudes) arenas.
Target vulnerability assessment efforts, to include target model development, analytical vulnerability assessments, experimental testing and assessment validation, and military effectiveness analysis.
High power optical components, to provide optical coatings, mirrors, windows, and other specialized optical components which can operate and endure in a high power laser beam train without inducing significant distortion or loss.
Technology and experiments to understand and characterize the atmospheric propagation environment, including turbulence effects over extended propagation paths and organized structures in turbulent flow fields such as boundary layers.
Experiments and modeling to establish accurate safety thresholds for personnel protection.

3.8.3.3 Basic Research. Basic research efforts for high power lasers emphasize the fundamental understanding of the limitations of laser technology and its application, and investigation of promising new approaches and concepts. Efforts are conducted in advanced laser concepts, nonlinear optics, optical image sensing and reconstruction, optical tomography of turbulent flow fields, and advanced concepts for adaptive optics and laser beacon sensing.