U.S. Tests Anti-IED Laser

By KRIS OSBORN


Within three years, the U.S. Army hopes to field a solid-state, 1-kilowatt, vehicle-mounted laser that can destroy improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and UAVs, Army program managers said.
A prototype weapon called the Avenger performed well during a Boeing-Army test in September at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala.
Encouraged, Army officials are working with the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) to secure funding for more tests, build more prototypes and mount the laser onto a Cougar vehicle.
It was the first test of record for the solid-state laser.
“The laser propagates through a telescope built onto the AMW, focusing that kilowatt of power out at operational ranges, placing the hot, high-intensity thermal light beam on UXO [unexploded ordnance] and/or IEDs,” said Lee Gutheinz, Boeing’s high-energy laser and electro-optical program director.
The Avenger laser burns through bomb casings, touching off part of the explosive material. This means the bomb detonates with much less force than if it had been set off as planned, or shot at with a gun.
“The effect that a thermal engagement can have on unexploded ordnance or an IED is that you can heat them until they deflagrate — then blow up,” Gutheinz said. “The explosive in the shell cooks off slowly through either melting or bubbles off. It goes off in a low yield so you will typically only blow up about 30 percent of the explosive.”
That means less shrapnel and collateral damage.
“For instance, if you were in a built-up area, instead of getting a large high-order explosion, you might get some reduced detonation with the laser,” said U.S. Army Col. Edward Mullin, who manages cruise-missile-defense projects at Redstone Arsenal.
For the September test, the laser was mounted on a weapons mount called the Agile Mobile Weapons System (AMWS), developed in the 1980s for anti-tank missiles and .50-caliber machine guns and modified by Army and Boeing engineers over the past year.
“We’ve been working on laser neutralization capability for some time, things to destroy IEDs. This uses the subsystems that comprise the Avenger, such as FLIR [forward looking infrared radar], laser, .50- caliber, and brings all that to bear in a fighting system,” Mullin said, referring to the other weapons the AMWS is able to fire.
Boeing says the laser could be ready within one year.
“We hope to find a way to get directed energy into a fieldable position as soon as possible,” Gutheinz said. “The Army is motivated to deal with the deadly problem of IEDs. I see the day in the near future when lasers will become an integral part of soldiers’ tactical weapons arsenal.”
The laser, which was mounted on a Humvee for the September test, will likely deploy on a bigger vehicle, Army officials said.
“We would probably put it on a more heavily armored vehicle, such as a Cougar, but integrated with all of the Avenger electronics,” Mullin said. “That would enable us to fight from the vehicle and from a remote work station and fight from a distance. We are now upgrading the system onto an armored vehicle to test the concept and pursue a follow-on program.”
Earlier Efforts
In 2003, the Army sent a Humvee-mounted laser called ZEUS-HLONS (HMMWV Laser Ordnance Neutralization System) to Afghanistan, marking the first combat deployment of high-powered laser weapons.
The system was used for six months at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, where it disabled more than 200 pieces of unexploded ordnance, at one point setting a record for ordnance disposal by destroying 51 pieces in less than 100 minutes, according to a statement from the U.S. Space and Missile Defense Technical Center.
The ZEUS system had some reliability problems, Mullin said.
“ZEUS was able to perform the missions it was required to do, but we need to do further work on making the system more reliable,” Mullin said.By KRIS OSBORN


Within three years, the U.S. Army hopes to field a solid-state, 1-kilowatt, vehicle-mounted laser that can destroy improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and UAVs, Army program managers said.
A prototype weapon called the Avenger performed well during a Boeing-Army test in September at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala.
Encouraged, Army officials are working with the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) to secure funding for more tests, build more prototypes and mount the laser onto a Cougar vehicle.
It was the first test of record for the solid-state laser.
“The laser propagates through a telescope built onto the AMW, focusing that kilowatt of power out at operational ranges, placing the hot, high-intensity thermal light beam on UXO [unexploded ordnance] and/or IEDs,” said Lee Gutheinz, Boeing’s high-energy laser and electro-optical program director.
The Avenger laser burns through bomb casings, touching off part of the explosive material. This means the bomb detonates with much less force than if it had been set off as planned, or shot at with a gun.
“The effect that a thermal engagement can have on unexploded ordnance or an IED is that you can heat them until they deflagrate — then blow up,” Gutheinz said. “The explosive in the shell cooks off slowly through either melting or bubbles off. It goes off in a low yield so you will typically only blow up about 30 percent of the explosive.”
That means less shrapnel and collateral damage.
“For instance, if you were in a built-up area, instead of getting a large high-order explosion, you might get some reduced detonation with the laser,” said U.S. Army Col. Edward Mullin, who manages cruise-missile-defense projects at Redstone Arsenal.
For the September test, the laser was mounted on a weapons mount called the Agile Mobile Weapons System (AMWS), developed in the 1980s for anti-tank missiles and .50-caliber machine guns and modified by Army and Boeing engineers over the past year.
“We’ve been working on laser neutralization capability for some time, things to destroy IEDs. This uses the subsystems that comprise the Avenger, such as FLIR [forward looking infrared radar], laser, .50- caliber, and brings all that to bear in a fighting system,” Mullin said, referring to the other weapons the AMWS is able to fire.
Boeing says the laser could be ready within one year.
“We hope to find a way to get directed energy into a fieldable position as soon as possible,” Gutheinz said. “The Army is motivated to deal with the deadly problem of IEDs. I see the day in the near future when lasers will become an integral part of soldiers’ tactical weapons arsenal.”
The laser, which was mounted on a Humvee for the September test, will likely deploy on a bigger vehicle, Army officials said.
“We would probably put it on a more heavily armored vehicle, such as a Cougar, but integrated with all of the Avenger electronics,” Mullin said. “That would enable us to fight from the vehicle and from a remote work station and fight from a distance. We are now upgrading the system onto an armored vehicle to test the concept and pursue a follow-on program.”
Earlier Efforts
In 2003, the Army sent a Humvee-mounted laser called ZEUS-HLONS (HMMWV Laser Ordnance Neutralization System) to Afghanistan, marking the first combat deployment of high-powered laser weapons.
The system was used for six months at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, where it disabled more than 200 pieces of unexploded ordnance, at one point setting a record for ordnance disposal by destroying 51 pieces in less than 100 minutes, according to a statement from the U.S. Space and Missile Defense Technical Center.
The ZEUS system had some reliability problems, Mullin said.
“ZEUS was able to perform the missions it was required to do, but we need to do further work on making the system more reliable,” Mullin said.