14 DAY TRIAL // Brainiacs over at the US military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are working on some seriously cool technologies these days.
Among them is the so-called High-Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS, for short). Here's what this project boils down to: developing laser weapon systems small enough to be added to drones and fighter jets but powerful enough to bring down targets on the ground.
DARPA scientists imagine these laser systems as having a power of 150 kilowatts and yet being several times lighter than current laser systems with this output.
“The goal of the HELLADS program is to develop a 150-kilowatt (kW) laser weapon system that is 10 times smaller and lighter than current lasers of similar power, enabling integration onto tactical aircraft to defend against and defeat ground threats,” DARPA writes in a statement.
In not so many fancy words, the project's end goal is to come up with a way to safely mount laser weapons on US military fighter jets and drones.
The technology is ready for field tests, DARPA says
In a recent report detailing the HELLADS program, specialists explain that, having completed a series of tests in laboratory conditions, they are now ready to test this technology in real-life conditions.
They say that, in the tests thus far completed, the novel weapon systems produced satisfactory laser power and beam quality. Hence, it makes sense to debut field tests and have them face threats the military deal with in combat.
“The HELLADS laser is now ready to be out to the test on the range against some of the toughest tactical threats our war fighters face,” said program manager Rich Bagnell, as cited by Technology.
Working closely with the Air Force Research Laboratory, DARPA hopes to begin testing its new laser weapons systems sometime this coming summer. For the time being, where exactly the tests will be carried out remains a mystery.
Once successfully tested by DARPA, the weapons will be entrusted to the US military for further experiments and refinement. Soon enough, they should be ready for operational use.
