Boeing announces beam control contract
Boeing has won a contract for developing a beam control system that could be used to provide accuracy for laser weapons on US Navy warships, the company announced on 17 February.
Under the contract, Boeing will design and develop a prototype High Power Beam Control Subsystem (HP BCSS) compatible with solid-state High Energy Lasers (HEL). The prototype will be compatible with systems that are being developed for the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR’s) solid state laser technology maturation programme.
The beam control system will focus and hold a laser on a moving aimpoint for long enough to disable the target - a challenge, given the constant motion of the maritime environment.
The contract will capitalise on work performed by Boeing with the US Army’s HEL Mobile Demonstrator (MD), which underwent successful demonstrations at Eglin air force base in Florida in 2014.
During these demonstrations, the HEL MD acquired, tracked and destroyed targets in foggy and windy conditions. ONR shared technical data on energy systems in maritime environments with Boeing and the army. In recent testing, the HEL MD also disabled unmanned aerial vehicles and mortars.
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![From the Baltic to the Gulf: where USV procurement is heading next]()
From the Baltic to the Gulf: where USV procurement is heading next
Saildrone’s new Copenhagen base is one sign of a larger shift, as navies globally turn to uncrewed vessels for surveillance and mine clearance.
-
![Quantum sensing gathers pace as navies eye undersea advantage]()
Quantum sensing gathers pace as navies eye undersea advantage
As AI dominates defence conversations, industry increasingly points to quantum sensing as the technology set to change submarine and uncrewed underwater vehicle operations.
-
![Competitive P17B tender marks a shift in Indian Navy frigate procurement]()
Competitive P17B tender marks a shift in Indian Navy frigate procurement
The Indian Navy's P17B programme is expected to combine greater weapons capacity with a competitive domestic construction model, although key systems could remain dependent on international supply chains.
-
![How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base]()
How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base
Extending far beyond a four-submarine replacement programme, France’s ballistic missile submarine effort is a decades-long industrial initiative designed to preserve the country’s ability to build and sustain nuclear-powered strategic platforms.
