Military

Northrop Grumman delivers rugged mini-laser weapon to US government

The Phantom mini laser
Northrop Grumman
The Phantom mini laser
Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman has delivered a miniaturized high-energy laser, called the Phantom, to the US government that points to future laser weapons that are not only powerful, but small and rugged enough for field combat.

Lasers are very attractive to the military as a potential game changer with their ability to engage targets at the speed of light at a cost of a dollar a shot. Until recently, most of the attention has been on the laser beam itself – how to make it powerful enough to be effective, how to lock on target, and how to control the beam over long distances.

However, there is another side to such weapons that the Phantom addresses. No matter how powerful or effective it is, a laser weapon isn't of any use to anyone if it's some gigantic, delicate Frankenstein's monster of a setup that looks like a cross between an old-fashioned radio's innards and a Meccano set and weighs several tonnes.

The Phantom's 10-kW output isn't much to write home about compared to Lockheed Martin's latest 300-kW weapon, but does have the advantage of filling only 12 ft³ (0.3 m³) and weighing less than 200 lb (90 kg), making it light and compact enough for two people to lift and install. It's also rugged enough to put up with rough handling.

The Phantom isn't a complete laser weapon, but a laser generator. It's more of a plug-in component. To turn it into a proper weapon system, it needs to be hooked up to a power supply as well as the targeting and focusing optics to put the beam on target.

The tricky bit now is to make small rugged lasers more powerful and the powerful lasers smaller and more rugged. When they meet in the middle, you've got a real laser weapon.

"By miniaturizing this advanced capability, we are expanding the reach of our technology and continuing to lead the way in high-energy lasers," says Robert Fleming, vice president and general manager, strategic space systems. "Northrop Grumman is using its expertise in directed energy to deliver an extremely compact, lightweight and efficient laser for the war fighter."

Source: Northrop Grumman

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8 comments
vince
Well Caaptain Kirk of the USS Enterprise has much morer attractive phaser and thats whats needed.
CraigAllenCorson
My main objection to lasers as weapons of war is...mirrors exist. Even worse, retroreflectors exist.
niio
I don't know what losses occur with a distant target, but a 10kw laser can cut through 2in of mild steel in an industrial setting.
3Bravo7
Grumman, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are raking in billions from black budget contracts. No accountability or transparency of where this taxpayer money goes and it’s funding so very dubious and diabolical projects that are not in the best interest of the American citizen. Evil is thriving.
Shooter
"...Evil is thriving..."

Correct...evil from which the US needs to protect itself.
Babaghan
Grand Moff Tarkin, "You may fire when ready"
Nobody
I am always amused when I read a dollar a shot. So far this has been more like a $billion a shot and still experimental. It WILL never be a dollar a shot or anywhere close to it.
Louis Vaughn
So how much is one?
Can I have it sent o Ukraine?