BREAKING NEWS: Lockheed’s New Laser

Lockheed Reveals It’s New Weapon

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A company called Lockheed Martin Plans to build a new laser weapon for Stryker vehicles for the US army short range air defense system.

 

As stated by Breaking Defense, Lockheed is designing a 50 kilowatt laser called DEIMOS, short for Directed Energy Interceptor for Maneuver of Short Range Air Defense, said Tyler Griffin. Lockheed’s director of laser and sensor systems.

Lockheed hopes to release an incumbent team of Raytheon and Kord Technologies, which received a $123.9 million contract this summer to build a Directed Energy Maneuver Short Range Air Defenses system from the Army after their prototype completed a shoot out that was meant to test the weapons earlier this year.

Under this contract, the companies are being tasked to build three additional laser systems that will be integrated onboard Stryker (tanks) vehicles enough for the Army to field its first platoon of four laser-equipped Strykers. Raytheon is developing the 50 kilowatt laser, while Kord is the systems integrator and developing the power management and cooling system.

Picture from Breaking Defense

According to the same source Breaking Defense when the RCCTO (Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies) hands off threshold requirements and technical data to PEO Missiles in Space in FY23, Lockheed executives believe the Army will open up another round of competition, Griffin said.

Lockheed intends to differentiate DEIMOS with an emphasis on affordability of DEIMOS, but the cost-per-kill and maintenance of the system, Griffin said.

“What we’re looking at, from a Lockheed Martin perspective, is looking for the best design of technologies, many of which we can reuse from other Lockheed laser technology programs,” he said. “But also extending that into Army radar components and, in the end, having an optimal combination of schedule, affordability, and low risk throughout the entire lifecycle.

Lockheed aims to have development of the DEIMOS digital twin finished by the end of 2021 and begin field demonstrations by the end of 2022, Griffin said.

Besides Raytheon, Lockheed could also face off with Northrop Grumman for a future DE M-SHORAD contract.

Picture from Lockheed Martin Corporation