High Energy Laser Development
Abstract
This program is broken up into the following areas: (1) directed energy sources; (2) beam control and propagation; and (3) lethality and vulnerability to reflect the OSD science and technology priorities for directed energy. Efforts under this program are executed through the Joint Directed Energy Transition Office, including studies, investigations, and component and subsystem design and development to further the knowledge base of directed-energy technologies and enable future defense capabilities to be realized by the Services as part of an overall Department of Defense directed energy science and technology program. Directed energy weapons systems have many potential advantages, including speed-of-light time-to-target, high precision, low incremental cost per kill, and a magazine that is recharged through on-board, fuel-based power and thermal management systems that reduce logistics requirements in contrast to stocks of munitions or warheads. Efforts under this program are generally chosen for their potential to have an impact on multiple mission areas. Directed energy weapon systems have the potential to perform a wide variety of military missions, including high value asset and base protection, precision strike and platform self-protection versus a wide variety of missile, rocket, artillery, mortar, and air platforms. As a result, this program supports a broad range of technologies in key areas, such as laser sources, microwave sources, beam-control optics, antennas, waveguides, modeling and simulation, and lethality mechanisms. This program provides the enabling technologies necessary to demonstrate advanced concepts for mission areas not considered to date. Advancements provided by this program are essential to expand and build upon current system architectures. Efforts in this program have been coordinated through the Department of Defense Science and Technology Executive Committee process to harmonize efforts and eliminate duplication.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2025
- Source ID
- 890_0602890D8Z_2_0400_PB_2025
Related Documents
- Root: High Energy Laser Research
- Child Accomplishment: Directed Energy Applied Research