Boeing awarded laser weapon contract

Published 3 September 2008

Boeing wins $36 million contract to continue development of a truck-mounted laser weapon aiming to destroy flying projectiles — from rockets to artillery shells to mortar rounds

Laser weapons mounted on trucks could be ready to roll into battle within five years. A couple of weeks ago Boeing won a $36 million contract from the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command to build the optics needed to track and focus lethal laser energy onto rockets, artillery shells and mortar rounds. The High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator will use a new solid-state laser powered by electricity from a truck-mounted diesel generator, rather than bulky and dangerous chemicals.

Later this year military engineers will stage a shoot-out between two rival designs for the 100-kilowatt solid-state laser. The winning laser will have to be ruggedised to survive field conditions and made small enough to fit inside the truck. The laser is scheduled to start shooting at real targets in 2013.