Lockheed Martin and Rolls-Royce will create the first 100-kilowatt combat laser
The US Army has completed a tender for the creation of the first combat laser, whose power will be 100 kilowatts. The winners were the American companies Dynetics and Lockheed Martin, which will attract third-party organizations - in particular, the automotive giant Rolls-Royce. The competition has been held since mid-2016.
It is planned that defense enterprises will create a tactical machine with a high-energy laser based on an FMTV army truck family. The laser will be placed on the roof, due to which such machines will be able to shoot down missiles, drones, helicopters and even small planes. Now these trucks are used mainly for the transport of ammunition.
To integrate the laser, the machines will be significantly re-equipped: it is planned to install a hybrid power plant, which was recently shown by Rolls-Royce. It has a power of 300 kilowatts and can power lasers with a power of up to 100 kilowatts. Rays from several laser emitters will be transmitted via an optical fiber to a special aggregator, which at the output will give one high-power laser beam.
Lockheed Martin plans to carry out the first tests in 2-3 years, and in the US army they want to get new trucks into service in 5 years. Considering that the spectral combination is taken as the basis, the realization in such a short time is quite real.
Moreover, the company has the necessary experience: for example, in 2018 it patented a compact synthesis reactor. The reactor can be powerful enough to work with an aircraft carrier, an aircraft the size of the C-5 Galaxy, provide electricity to a city with a population of 50 to 100,000 people, and perhaps even send us on a trip to Mars.
In parallel, China is testing its laser combat system, which plans to use it for air defense. Despite the fact that it has less power, it can hit air targets that are no more than 5 kilometers away.