Lockheed Martin is working to develop mature and producible tactical airborne LWS solutions that complement existing kinetic defences to protect warfighters in the air, at sea and on the ground.

The systems the company is developing under contract today can defeat small rockets, unmanned aerial vehicles, small attack boats, and lightweight ground vehicles.

Under the Department of Defence’s first laser weapon program of record, the company is integrating the High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-dazzler with Surveillance (HELIOS) system onto U.S. Navy destroyers to protect sailors and ships from attack by drones and small boats.

For the U.S. Army, LM is developing the 300 kW-class Indirect Fire Precision Capabilities High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL) demonstrator, a ground vehicle system to defeat drones, rockets, artillery and mortars.

The company is developing the Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) system for the U.S. Air Force. This production includes developing critical components of an airborne laser pod including the high-energy laser and other subsystems that will be demonstrated ahead of a program of record in the mid-2020s.

The company is partnering with industry and customer stakeholders to develop producible, low-cost tactical beam directors for use in land, sea and airborne applications. The beam director is the optical system that puts high-energy light on-target and keeps it there with high precision to defeat the threat.

The company is developing airborne laser pod solutions that support a rapid transition to production and deployment—and ultimately, a transition to embedded systems.

Lockheed Martin is firing on all fronts to be ready to produce a tactical airborne laser pod when the Air Force calls.