Security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin noted the Directed Energy Interceptor for Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense System (DEIMOS) recently achieved first light, representing alignment with system design parameters.
The DEIMOS first light demonstration serves as a milestone to aid the Army performing its DE M-SHORAD (maneuver-short range air defense) mission of delivering a maneuverable laser system capable of negating unmanned aerial systems, rotary-wing aircraft and rockets, artillery, and mortars.
According to Lockheed Martin, first light measures the expected beam quality of the system while testing the end-to-end performance of the low-cost Spectral Beam Combination (SBC) architecture. The key benefit of the SBC is power can be scaled while retaining the beam quality of the individual fiber lasers.
Lockheed Martin noted that the 50 kW-class DEIMOS system is a tactical laser weapon system that can be integrated into the Stryker combat vehicle to deliver directed energy to the Army’s maneuver-short range air defense M-SHORAD mission.
“The 50 kW-class laser weapon system brings another critical piece to help ensure the U.S. Army has a layered air defense capability,” Lockheed Martin Advanced Product Solutions Vice President Rick Cordaro said. “DEIMOS has been tailored from our prior laser weapon successes to affordably meet the Army’s larger modernization strategy for air and missile defense and to improve mission success with 21st Century Security solutions.”