Tactical High Energy Laser
Encyclopedia
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
developed for military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
use, also known as the Nautilus laser system. The mobile version is the Mobile Tactical High-Energy Laser, or MTHEL.
Demonstrator
On July 18, 1996, the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
entered into an agreement to produce a cooperative THEL called the Demonstrator, which would utilize deuterium fluoride laser chemical laser
Chemical laser
A chemical laser is a laser that obtains its energy from a chemical reaction. Chemical lasers can achieve continuous wave output with power reaching to megawatt levels...
technologies. Primary among the four contractors awarded the project on September 30, 1996 are Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
(formerly TRW
TRW
TRW Inc. was an American corporation involved in a variety of businesses, mainly aerospace, automotive, and credit reporting. It was a pioneer in multiple fields including electronic components, integrated circuits, computers, software and systems engineering. TRW built many spacecraft,...
). THEL conducted test firing in FY1998, and Initial Operating Capability
Initial operating capability
Initial operating capability or Initial operational capability is the state achieved when a capability is available in its minimum usefully deployable form. The term is often used in government or military procurement....
(IOC) was planned in FY1999. However this was significantly delayed due to reorienting the project as a mobile, not fixed design, called Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL). The original fixed location design eliminates most weight, size and power restrictions, but is not compatible with the fluid, mobile nature of modern combat. The initial MTHEL goal was a mobile version the size of three large semi trailers. Ideally it would be further downsized to a single semi trailer size. However, doing this while maintaining the original performance characteristics is difficult. Furthermore, the Israeli government, which had been providing significant funding, decreased their financial support in 2004, postponing the IOC date to at least 2010.
In 2000 and 2001 THEL shot down 28 Katyusha artillery rocket
Rocket artillery
Rocket artillery is a type of artillery equipped with rocket launchers instead of conventional guns or mortars.Types of rocket artillery pieces include multiple rocket launchers.-History:...
s and 5 artillery shells.
On November 4, 2002, THEL shot down an incoming artillery shell. A mobile version completed successful testing. During a test conducted on August 24, 2004 the system successfully shot down multiple mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
rounds. The test represented actual mortar threat scenarios. Targets were intercepted by the THEL testbed and destroyed. Both single mortar rounds and salvo were tested.
Even though military experts such as the former head of the Administration for the Development of Weapons and the Technological Industry
Administration for the Development of Weapons and the Technological Industry
The Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure , abbreviated Maf'at , is a joint administrative body of the Israeli Ministry of Defense and Israel Defense Forces that coordinates between the Ministry of Defense, the IDF, the military industries, Israel Military...
, Aluf
Aluf
Aluf is the term used for General and Admiral in the Israel Defense Forces . In addition to the Aluf rank itself, there are four other ranks which are derivatives of the word...
Yitzhak Ben Yisrael
Yitzhak Ben Yisrael
Professor Yitzhak Ben Yisrael is an Israeli military scientist, general and politician, currently the chairman of the Israeli Space Agency. He is the former head of the Administration for the Development of Weapons and the Technological Industry, which he was appointed to in 1998, and at that...
, were calling for the implementation of the THEL, the project was discontinued. During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War #Other uses|Tammūz]]) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. The principal parties were Hezbollah...
, Ben Yisrael, currently the chairman of the Israeli Space Agency
Israeli Space Agency
Israel Space Agency is a governmental body that coordinates all Israeli space research programs with scientific and commercial goals. It was established in 1983 and is currently headed by Aluf professor Yitzhak Ben Yisrael...
, renewed his calls to implement the THEL against high-trajectory fire.
Countermeasures
In theory certain countermeasures could reduce the effectiveness of THEL. A review of the types of technologically feasible countermeasures would include (though not be limited to) the following :- Reflective coatings which attempt to reflect a large proportion of the incoming radiation.
- Modification of projectile geometries to take into account the possibility that laser light radiation might be used to neutralize the projectiles.
- Enveloping gas/substance. The use of gaseous envelopes around a missile would ensure that a sufficiently cool gas will carry away a portion of the incident radiation energy which is incident upon the missile by both convective and diffusive effects.
- An oscillating or chaotic trajectory will increase the difficulties in the use of the THEL system due to guidance. If guided into windy or turbulent environments, such a chaotic trajectory would also ensure that there is more of a turbulent gaseous flow around the missile.
- Heat Resistant Coating Layers (HRCLs). Similar to reflective coatings. However, in the case of HRCLs, internal capillaries/coolant mechanisms could ensure that excessively large amounts of heat could be dissipated.
- Multi-stage projectile systems which “dummies” a THEL kill.
Issues/Problems With Countermeasures
Many of the countermeasures that have been considered do not take into account the added cost, complexity, and weight that is added to the offensive device. These may reduce the offensive weapon's capability in terms of range, speed, and/or detonation potential. Adding any of the types of mechanisms listed would be much more complicated than simply adding another laser beam (hence doubling the power), from a defensive perspective. Also note that as the offensive threat comes closer to its intended target, it is receiving even more irradiation than further away, hence increasing its exposure to laser energy (larger fluence) and decreasing its probability of impact.Lasers
- Chemical laserChemical laserA chemical laser is a laser that obtains its energy from a chemical reaction. Chemical lasers can achieve continuous wave output with power reaching to megawatt levels...
- Laser scienceLaser scienceLaser science or laser physics is a branch of optics that describes the theory and practice of lasers.Laser science is principally concerned with quantum electronics, laser construction, optical cavity design, the physics of producing a population inversion in laser media, and the temporal...
- Active laser mediumActive laser mediumThe active laser medium is the source of optical gain within a laser. The gain results from the stimulated emission of electronic or molecular transitions to a lower energy state from a higher energy state...
- Laser applicationsLaser applicationsMany scientific, military, medical and commercial laser applications have been developed since the invention of the laser in the 1958. The coherency, high monochromaticity, and ability to reach extremely high powers are all properties which allow for these specialized applications.-Scientific:In...
- Laser constructionLaser constructionA laser is constructed from three principal parts:*An energy source ,*A gain medium or laser medium, and*Two or more mirrors that form an optical resonator.-Pump source:...
- Active laser medium
- List of lasers
- Deuterium fluoride laser
Laser weapons
- Advanced tactical laserAdvanced tactical laserThe Advanced Tactical Laser program is a US military program to mount a high energy laser weapon on an aircraft, initially the AC-130 gunship, for use against ground targets in urban or other areas where minimizing collateral damage is important. The laser will be a 100 kilowatt-class chemical...
- Airborne laser Boeing YAL-1
- High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense SystemHigh Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense SystemThe High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System , is a Counter-RAM system under development that will use a powerful laser to shoot down missiles, rockets, and artillery shells...
(HELLADS) - SkyguardSkyguard (airport defense system)Skyguard is a laser-based area defense system proposed by Northrop Grumman, to protect airports and other areas against a variety of military threats including short-range ballistic missiles, short- and long-range rockets, artillery shells, mortars, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles.-See...