Applied Technology launches anti-drone laser weapon at military expo...

15 Oct 2019

...while NKT Photonics delivers lasers for 20 kW Rheinmetall anti-drone defense project.

Precision measurement systems developer ATA has this week unveiled its LOCUST – "Low-Cost Counter-Unmanned Aerial System for Targeting" – at the AUSA annual meeting and expo, which runs October 14-16, in Washington D.C. The LOCUST will also be participating in U.S. government field experiments in October and November.

The anti-drone system offers cost-effective defense against low-cost asymmetric unmanned aerial system (UAS) threats. The system detects and identifies such threats using electro-optical infrared (EOIR) sensor subsystems as well as active and passive radio frequency. It can then negate the threats using intelligent electronic attack and high energy laser (HEL) effectors.

Each LOCUST can deliver a layered detection and identification capability from a fixed or mobile platform with HEL shoot-on-the-move capability. It is designed to counter UAS activities, and the technologies and approach are scalable to provide a compact, rugged, and modular multi-mission system to conduct more effective and efficient detection, identification, management, and mitigation of Group 1 and Group 2 UAS threats.

ATA President Dan Gillings commented, “Applying ATA’s technical strengths to help protect our military and civilians from the rapidly emerging threats of small unmanned aerial systems is an endeavor that builds on our heritage and is pivotal to ATA’s future aspirations for high-tech solutions and manufacturing.”

NKT Photonics delivers lasers for 20 kW defense project

In mid-September, 2019, Rheinmetal announced the successful test of a 20 KW laser source based on spectral combining of 12 fiber lasers supplied by NKT Photonics.

Rheinmetall Waffe und Munition and NKT Photonics have reached a new milestone with its laser technology. The 12 narrow linewidth high-power lasers are a main component of the effector. They are based on NKT Photonics’ industrial and space qualified Koheras single-frequency laser platform.

“The results from the project were achieved in a short time frame and demonstrate the robustness and scalability of our fiber laser platform,” said Thomas Oldemeyer, Senior VP of NKT Photonics’ Aerospace & Defense division.

Aerospace and defense applications, like the current project with Rheinmetall, are among the most demanding in terms of performance and requirements on robustness in a harsh environment. For such applications, says NKT, fiber lasers are ideal as the monolithic design is inherently robust and scalable.

Furthermore, as a vertically integrated fiber laser manufacturer, NKT Photonics can tailor the lasers to the application all the way from the raw glass going into the fibers to the final design of the laser. Both parties intend to further increase the level of co-operation aiming for a volume and power optimized version aiming for 100 KW within the next two years.