Lasers & Sources

Lockheed Martin's 30 kW fiber-laser weapon disables truck from a mile away

March 6, 2015

The ATHENA uses spectral beam combination to achieve single-mode beam quality.

A prototype of Lockheed Martin's ATHENA laser weapon system burned through a truck's hood and disabled its engine in a matter of seconds from more than a mile away. The truck was mounted on a test stand.

The Advanced Test High Energy Asset (ATHENA) is a 30 kW spectrally beam combined fiber laser built by Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, MD; NYSE: LMT) as a military weapon prototype. The company recently field-tested the ground-based prototype system on a small truck more than a mile away, burning through the truck's hood and engine manifold in seconds.

The truck was mounted on a test platform with its engine and drive train running to simulate an operationally-relevant test scenario, according to Lockheed Martin.

ATHENA has a single-transverse mode beam, created by the spectral combination of several fiber-laser beams of differing wavelength. Without spectral combination, the highest single-mode output achieved by a fiber laser is 10 kW, of which IPG Photonics (Oxford, MA) sells a commercial version.

ATHENA is based on the Area Defense Anti-Munitions (ADAM) laser weapon system developed by Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, California, which has been shown effective in demonstrations against small airborne and sea-based targets. It incorporates the 30 kW Accelerated Laser Demonstration Initiative (ALADIN) fiber laser developed by the company in Bothell, Washington.

"Fiber-optic lasers are revolutionizing directed-energy systems," says Keoki Jackson, Lockheed Martin chief technology officer. "We are investing in every component of the system—from the optics and beam control to the laser itself—to drive size, weight, and power efficiencies. This test represents the next step to providing lightweight and rugged laser weapon systems for military aircraft, helicopters, ships, and trucks."

Source: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2015/march/ssc-space-athena-laser.html

About the Author

John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)

John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.