DOD Solid-State Laser Demos Delayed Three Months
By Marc Selinger
12/23/2004 08:54:15 AM
The U.S. Defense Department's Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) program has delayed demonstrating 25-kilowatt solid-state lasers by about three months because the three teams involved in the effort need more time, according to program officials.
Three electrically-driven lasers developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon had been scheduled for laboratory tests in December (DAILY, Sept. 29). But those demonstrations have been moved to March 2005.
"We're still very confident that we're going to have demonstrations of 25-kilowatts," said Mark Neice, JHPSSL's program manager, noting that the Livermore team has reported achieving more than 30 kilowatts of power in preliminary tests.
A key reason for the delay was that the teams needed more time to prepare their ceramic slabs, which are used to hold laser energy until it is dispensed, Neice said. The slabs, which can be roughly as large as a sheet of paper, had flaws that had to be fixed.
"There are a variety of materials [in the slabs] that have to be bonded together," Neice said. "We had problems with those bonding issues at high power, and so we had to go back and resolve those bonding issues."
To avoid such problems in the future, DOD is spending several million dollars a year to try to shore up the nation's "limited" industrial base for slabs, Neice said.
The JHPSSL program continues to gear up for its next phase, which calls for developing 100-kilowatt laboratory demonstrators. A request for information drew 13 industry responses. A request for proposals is due to be released in March, and the award of multiple contracts is expected in August.
"Whether that's two or whether that's three" contracts will depend on such factors as funding, Neice said.
Neice said his program and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is pursuing an effort similar to JHPSSL but on a later schedule, are considering jointly evaluating their solid-state lasers. DARPA's program is the High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS).