1. High Energy Laser
Joint Technology Office (HEL-JTO)
Recent Developments and Current
Projects in HEL Technology
February 2012
Cleared for Public Release, 377ABW-2011-1103

2. Outline
• Introduction to HEL-JTO
• JTO Technology Thrusts
• JTO Major Projects
• Service Programs
• Summary

3. High Energy Lasers (HEL)
Attributes
• Precision engagement at a distance
• Low collateral damage
• Re-usable
• Less than lethal through lethal effects
System Level Challenges
• Compact, light-weight, and rugged systems
• Sufficient power on target
• System reliability
• Cost effectiveness / alternatives
HEL Target Effects
• Jam/spoof or destroy optical sensors
• Thermal damage

4. HEL Science &Technology
Challenges Opportunities
High-Power Lasers High-Power Lasers
• Thermal management for solid-state lasers • Efficient and reliable diode-arrays, high brightness
diodes
• Eye-safer wavelengths and development of novel
gain media • High-power fibers
• Advanced processing and characterization of • Beam combination of multiple high-power fibers
ceramics • New ceramic materials
• Short-pulse (femtosecond) phenomena
• Diode Pumped Alkali Lasers
Beam Control Beam Control
• Aim-point maintenance, precision tracking, and jitter • Advanced adaptive optics
control
• Advanced disturbance mitigation schemes
• Propagation through turbulent atmosphere, through
boundary layers, and in maritime environment • Phased arrays
• Windows, coatings and active optics
HEL Lethality, Modeling & Simulation
• Accurate prediction of lethality for future systems
• Battle damage assessment
• Detailed end-to-end physics and system level
models

5. HEL-JTO Formation
• FY00 National Defense JTO Charter:
Authorization Act request to • Advocate HEL technology
develop laser plan development for DoD
• FY00 High Energy Laser • Coordinate among the Services
Executive Review Panel and Agencies
chartered
• Develop technology investment
strategy for DoD
Report of the
• Manage a portfolio of
High Energy Laser government/industry/academia
Executive Review Panel R&D projects
Department of Defense
Laser Master Plan A Coordinated Approach for
March 24, 2000
HEL Weapons System Development

6. HEL-JTO Organization
ASD (R&E)
•Operational
Air Force S&T Oversight Technology Council
S&T Executives
Executive
(Army,Navy, AF,
•Admin
MDA, DARPA, DTRA)
Oversight
Director Contractor
AFRL/RD Technical and
Support Administrative
•Contracting Support
Budget/Finance Executive Assistant/
•Financial
Network/DE2AC
•Public Affairs
•Security
Army Navy Air Force MDA
Representative Representative Representative DARPA
Tech Area, Tech Area, Tech Area,
Contracts Monitor Contracts Monitor Contracts Monitor
Technology Area Working Groups
Approved for Public Release

7. HEL-JTO Technology Thrust Area
Laser Devices Beam Control
- Solid State Atmospheric Propagation
- Gas
- Free Electron
- Thermal Blooming
- Turbulence
Effects
Laser-Target
Interaction
Heat Beam Pointing
Thermal Management
Combining
Beam Conditioning
& Adaptive Optics
Heat
Wavefront Windows &
Power Conditioning Sensor Mirrors
Illuminator
Advanced Fire Control
Example: Solid Concepts
State Laser Engagement & System Modeling
Approved for Public Release

8. Elements of a Practical Laser
for Military Applications
• Scalability (mission requirements)
• Efficiency (size and weight)
• Beam Quality (gain media thermal
control/correction, propagation)
• Simplicity (logistics, packaging)
• Robustness (reliability)
•Wavelength (collateral eye safety,
diffraction effects, atmospheric
propagation)
•System thermal management
•Platform integration

9. Outline
• Introduction to HEL-JTO
• JTO Technology Thrusts
• JTO Major Projects
• Service Programs
• Summary

10. Solid State Laser Thrust Area
• Advantages
– All electric - logistically friendly
– Smaller, lighter
– Good propagation window at 1 micron; eyesafer wavelengths
available
• Opportunities
– High power fibers
– Combination of multiple fibers
– Ceramic gain material
• Challenges:
– Efficient, reliable and very bright diode arrays
– Increase power without thermal distortions
– Efficiency

11. Solid State Laser Portfolio
• High power fibers
• Beam combining techniques
• High Power Fiber Components
Er-doped PCF High Power
Laser Fiber
Dielectric Edge Mirrors (DEMs)
Fiber
Stacked Beam Combiner
Fusion Spliced All-Fiber Isolator
Oscillators

12. Solid State Laser Portfolio
•Ceramic gain materials
•Eye safer wavelength (slabs and fibers)
•Efficient and High Temperature diode arrays
10%Yb:Lu2O3 ceramic
VCSEL Array
assembled on
Patterned
Surface
Composite Heat
Spreader
Emission of lasers in the eye-
safe wavelength range and
atmospheric transmission

13. Gas Laser Thrust Area
• Advantages
– Can scale to VERY high powers
• Opportunities
– Diode Pumped Alkali Lasers (DPAL)
– Efficient Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Lasers (COIL)
• Challenges (DPAL):
– Narrow pump wavelength
– Flowing media
– Atmospheric Propagation
• Challenges (COIL):
– Logistics
– Efficiency and size

14. Gas Laser Portfolio
Diode Pumped Alkali Lasers
• Diode Laser Pumped Alkali Vapor Lasers with Exciplex-
Assisted Absorption
• High Power Diode Pumped Alkali Lasers and Analog
Systems
• Three Dimensional, Time Dependent Simulation of Diode
Pumped Alkali Lasers
• Scaling of a Flowing Alkali Laser System
• Propagation Studies of Alkali Lasers
12”-telescope & tunable diode laser
Visualization of a previous flowing DPAL absorption spectrometer to study alkali laser
simulation wavelengths

15. Gas Laser Portfolio
Chemical Oxygen Iodine Lasers
• Catalytic Enhancement of Singlet Oxygen Yield and Small
Signal Gain in EOIL Systems
• High Pressure COIL
• Very High Flux, High Efficiency COIL for Improved Specific
Power
 Counter Flow SOG
 Reduced laser weight and volume

16. Free Electron Laser Thrust
• Advantages
• Tunable wavelength for
maritime propagation
• Shipboard protection against
asymmetric threat
• No hazardous gases or
chemicals
• Opportunities
• All electric ship integration
• Megawatt potential
• Challenges
• Injectors and Cathodes
• High Intensity Optical
Components
• Efficient wiggler

17. Free Electron Laser Portfolio
Near-concentric
• Evaluation of Advanced Photocathodes for
wiggler
High Current Injectors
Near-confocal
• Efficient Photocathodes with Current
Amplification for High Power FELs
• FEL Injector Technology
• Ring Resonator FEL Ring-near-confocal

18. Free Electron Laser Portfolio
• Investigation of Longitudinal Space Charge
• Novel FEL Cavity Optic
• Optimization of FEL System Wall-Plug Efficiency
e- source, RF,
cryo power
RF, cryo
power
beam power into dump
DC power beam power
(magnets) back to RF
beam power
out of RF
FEL power out

19. Beam Control Thrust Area
Mission: • Challenges
Efficiently transmit very high optical – Platform Jitter
power from a laser source on a dynamic – Atmospheric
platform into a small spot on a distant disturbances
dynamic target – High Power
Optics/Coatings
– Aimpoint detection
and maintenance
– Aero-optic
disturbance
• Opportunities
– Advanced algorithms
– High speed, very
dense deformable
mirrors
– Wavefront sensors

20. Beam Control Components &
Subsystems
Beam Control
Beam Path Conditioning
Beam Alignment, Positioning, & Inertial Stabilization
Atmosphere
Beam Wavefront Correction
Beam Beam
Beam Beam Sampling Beam Beam
Target
Generation Sizing
Sizing & Sharing Expansion Pointing
Sensor
Noise
Wavefront Sensing Track Sensing
WFOV
Beacon Illuminator Track Illuminator Sensing
Algorithms & Processing Algorithms & Processing Acquisition
Illuminator
Maintenance/Safety/Diagnostics Platform Motion
Aero-optics Characterization & Modeling Performance Diagnostics
Atmospheric Characterization & Modeling Infrastructure

21. Beam Control Portfolio
• Propagation Studies
• Algorithm Development
• Advanced Adaptive Optics
• Focal Plane Arrays
• Integrated Demonstrations
• Light Weight Beam Director

22. Advanced Concepts Thrust
• Novel Concept Exploration
• Too “Risky”(or too Hard) for
Other Thrusts
• Includes:
• Advanced Materials
• Beam Combination
• Novel Architectures

23. Advanced Concepts Portfolio
• Passive Phasing Analysis
• Large Linewidth Spectral Beam
Combining
• Gradient Doped Ceramic Laser
Gain Media
• Hollow-core Fiber Laser
• 2-D VCSEL Pump
• A Liquid Crystal Spatial Light
Modulator
DM
H Detector
• Holographic Adaptive Laser
Optics Systems Input Output

24. Advanced Concepts Portfolio
• Rare-Earth Doped
Sapphire Laser
• Obscuration-Free Phase
Locking of HEL Tiled
Fiber Array
• Anti-Reflective Surface
Structures
• Coherent Beam using
Diffractive Optical
Laser Transform
Elements Array Lens
DOE
Output Beam
Coupler Sampler
Output
Beam
Phase controller Detector

25. Modeling & Simulation Thrust Area
Develop tools to support the HEL
community
Science and Military Utility
Engineering The investigation of the military
worth of future tactical HEL
The application of well grounded
systems, employment methods and
science to HEL research and
supporting decision aids.
development. Focusing on the
Representations of HEL in current
development and support of
and future DoD Models.
computational tools
Integrated
Seamless combination of
engineering
performance/analysis modeling
& simulation tools with
computational warfighter
support tools

26. Lethality Thrust Area
• Analysis and Test to Determine Lethal
Capability of Lasers
– Full Scale Tests performed
– Tools and Diagnostics for the HEL
community
– Laser Beam Diagnostic Software and
Hardware
– Laser Vulnerability Tool (LVT)
– Communications to Government and
Industry
• Laser Lethality Knowledge Base (LLKB)
120mm Mortar

27. Outline
• Introduction to HEL-JTO
• JTO Technology Thrusts
• JTO Major Projects
• Service Programs
• Summary

28. Robust Electric Laser Initiative
(RELI) - Motivation
• Build on JHPSSL and Joint Program successes
• Substantially improve system efficiency
• Combine laser performance goals with size,
weight, ruggedization and affordability goals
Joint HEL-JTO, Army and Air Force
Program with Navy interest

29. RELI
Push towards Common Goal: Robust, Fieldable, Tailorable Electric Laser
Power Supply
(Platform Dependent) Adaptive
Optics
Solid-State
Laser Diode Beam
Laser
Array Director
Amplifier
RELI: Robust, Fieldable Laser System
Tailorable to desired platform
Thermal Management System Efficient, lightweight, small, affordable
(Platform Dependent)
RELI will focus on laser efficiency and beam quality and minimizing weight and
volume. It will not develop TMS or power production and conditioning
technology.
29

30. RELI Performance Metrics
• Performance analyzed & measured in three critical areas:
• Laser Metric Photons Out
Electric Available
– Power in the Bucket Efficiency (PIBE) Laser EO Efficiency
Bucket
– Power, Efficiency and Beam Quality
– Analyze Phase 1; Full Demo Phase 2
• Physical Metric
– Power/Weight
– Power/Volume
– Analyze Phase 1; Partial Demo Phase 2
• Fieldability Metric (i.e. Temp, Vibration, Dust)
– Based on Anticipated Environments
– Analyze Phase 1; Partial Demo Phase 2
 Scalability
Scalable to 100kW Minimum
Technical Justification
Risk Reduction
Approved for Public Release

31. RELI Summary
• The ROBUST ELECTRIC LASER INITIATIVE will lead to rugged efficient
technology coupling well with DARPA and other DoD initiatives
– Provides options for light weight, militarily useful, high power laser systems
• Revised laser metric best represents operational requirements
– Allows contractors more flexibility in system design
• Natural JHPSSL follow-on of sources for next generation programs:
– Army: High Energy Laser-Technology Demonstrator
– Air Force: Electric Laser on a Large Aircraft
– Navy: TACAIR Future Naval Capability
Approved for Public Release

32. Outline
• Introduction to HEL-JTO
• JTO Technology Thrusts
• JTO Major Projects
• Service Programs
• Summary
Approved for Public Release

33. Army Solid State Laser Testbed
Experiment (SSLTE)
Objective: Perform Near-Term Demonstrations Using the Tactical
High Energy Laser (THEL) Beam Control System and the JHPSSL
Device at the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF)
• Provides Early Field Experiment Capability to
Further SSL Technology Development
• Enables Mission Area Assessment Decisions and
Allows Exploration of Best Application for HELs
• Leverages Existing Assets to Provide Early High
Power Risk Reduction Testing for Planned HEL TD JHPSSL
Device
• Establishes a SSL Testbed at HELSTF for
Continued Test and Evaluation Operations by the THEL
Army and DoD BCS
“Secure the High Ground”
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34. High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator
Weapons System Development
Deployable, Mobile, More
Self Sustaining Lethal Potential Secondary Mission:
Capability Surveillance / Target
Capable of Operating in a
Full Spectrum, Networked/
Information Based
Battlefield Environment
Provides Joint Service
Force Protection (Area) External
Weapon Capability Sensor
Modularity/Open Fire Unit
Architecture Allows for
Expansion to Future Force
BMC4I
Solid State Laser Demonstrate in a Relevant Operational Environment at HELSTF that a
Technologies Scalable to Mobile Solid State Laser Weapon System can Provide an Effective
Combat Vehicles (Small Mission Capability to Counter Rocket, Artillery, And Mortar Projectiles.
Unit Protection)
“Secure the High Ground” 10022008CG-AUSA001b
34

35. Navy Laser Weapon System
Test Results
• Naval Sea Systems
Command (NAVSEA),
with support from Naval
Surface Warfare Center
(NSWC) Dahlgren
executed LaWS testing in
June 2009 & June 2010
• Successfully tracked,
engaged, and destroyed
in flight UAVs at NAWC
China Lake and San
Nicholas Island
• Nine targets total were
engaged and destroyed
in progressively
challenging tests

36. Maritime Laser Demonstration
MLD INSTALLED ON
USS PAUL FOSTER
DD-964
Maritime Laser Demonstration
Existing MLD Prototype at NG/Space Park
FIRST SUCCESSFUL LASER (MLD)
WEAPON LETHALITY
DEMONSTRATION FROM US
NAVY SURFACE SHIP
(APRIL 2011)
NAVY SDTS
HEL
JTO
SMDC

37. Summary
• Comprehensive JTO portfolio advancing the state of the art in
HEL technologies
• RELI – will develop efficient, light weight laser sources
• HEL Demonstrations & Service Initiatives
– JHPSSL Integration at HELSTF – Army
– HEL TD – Army
– Airborne Laser ‘Shoot-down’ – Missile Defense Agency
– Laser Weapon System-Navy
– Maritime Self-Defense – Navy
An Exciting Time for High Energy Laser
Technology Advancement