Press Release Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.

U.S. Army's Tactical High Energy Laser Shoots Down Mortar Rounds, Again Showing Versatility of Northrop Grumman-Built System
Thursday August 26, 5:23 pm ET
Nation's Only Laser Weapon Demonstrator Shows That Directed Energy Offers Viable Defense Against Today's Threats

REDONDO BEACH, Calif., Aug. 26, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Tactical High Energy Laser, built by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - News) for the U.S. Army, shot down multiple mortar rounds Aug. 24, proving that laser weapons could be applied on the battlefield to protect against common threats.

In tests representative of actual mortar threat scenarios, the THEL testbed destroyed both single mortar rounds and mortar rounds fired in a salvo at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

The tests were conducted by the Army as part of the Mobile THEL (MTHEL) program. The MTHEL program is the responsibility of the SHORAD Project Office under the U.S. Army's Program Executive Office for Air, Space, and Missile Defense. The purpose of the MTHEL program is to develop and test the first mobile Directed Energy weapon system capable of detecting, tracking, engaging, and defeating Rockets/Artillery/Mortars (RAM), cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The Army is collaborating with the Israeli Ministry of Defense in the execution of the MTHEL program.

``These successful tests once again prove the versatility of the THEL testbed to counter a wide range of threats, particularly low-tech weapons like mortars,'' said Patrick Caruana, vice president of Space and Missile Defense for Northrop Grumman Space Technology. ``For the first time, we have a way to protect our forces, and those of our allies, against almost daily mortar attacks. Together with the U.S. Army, we have overcome the technical hurdles and we're ready to move laser weapons onto the battlefield.''

As the nation's only laser weapon, the THEL testbed has shot down a variety of threats since 2000, showing its versatility by destroying about three dozen targets, ranging from Katyusha rockets to artillery shells and large-caliber rockets, and now mortar threats as well.

``In the foreseeable future, MTHEL is the only directed energy program we can depend on to counter threats posed by rockets, artillery and mortar rounds,'' said Joe Shwartz, MTHEL program manager for Northrop Grumman Space Technology. ``The MTHEL prototype, when developed, will put directed energy into the warfighters' hands as early as possible. MTHEL could serve as a pathfinder for the Army to incorporate directed energy into its plans because it offers all the building blocks required to insert speed-of-light technology into the U.S. Army's Future Combat System and Future Force architectures.''

The THEL demonstrator was designed, developed and produced by a Northrop Grumman-led team of U.S. and Israeli contractors for the U.S. Space & Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala., and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The THEL demonstrator has evolved to the THEL testbed for the MTHEL program. In addition to Northrop Grumman's Space Technology and Mission Systems sectors, U.S. companies involved in testbed development are Ball Aerospace, Boulder, Colo., and Brashear LP, Pittsburgh, Pa. Israeli companies that supported THEL ACTD development are Electro-Optic Industries, Ltd., Rehovot; Israel Aircraft Industries, Ltd., Yehud Industrial Zone; RAFAEL, Haifa; and Tadiran, Holon.

Northrop Grumman Space Technology, based in Redondo Beach, Calif., develops a broad range of systems at the leading edge of space, defense and electronics technology. The sector creates products for U.S. military and civilian customers that contribute significantly to the nation's security and leadership in science and technology.

Now, this is something Singapore should consider acquiring at a near future date. Given the small land size of Singapore and the chances of each arty round to do major damages to the Singapore infrastructure is great, this is the bare minimal Singapore should consider to protect as much as possible in the face of arty barrages.

think the weak point would be the detection phase

if can't see, then can't shoot

stealth cruise missiles, maybe with a non-ballistic terminal flightpath may be a more difficult target to hit

but nice to see that lasers have finally arrived, await the first laser rifle, like in those sci-fi shows

Correct me if I'm wrong but I've read somewhere that this system is bulky and not suitable for various mobile platforms. The only feasible deployment would probably be at key installations.

They are trying to develop a version of the THEL, called the MTHEL, which is the system packaged into 3 or 4 trailers. Still not really deployable for combat, but it would be a good force protection asset for base defence, especially for the mortar attacks which they are facing daily...

Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL)

The Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) is a joint project of the United States and Israel designed to destroy short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, ground- and air-launched rockets, unmanned aerial vehicles, mortar shells, and artillery projectiles. It consists of an advanced radar that detects and tracks incoming rockets, and a high-energy laser beam that destroys them.

Since the early 1980s, Israel has faced a constant threat from Hezbollah guerillas along its northern border. During eighteen years of fighting, the guerrillas wreaked havoc by firing numerous small, unguided Katyusha rockets at Israeli towns. The rockets were fast and low-flying and caused considerable damage. Hezbollah’s attacks were so numerous that Israel could not use interceptor missiles. In addition, since the Katyushas flew on ballistic trajectories and landed on Israeli towns unless completely destroyed, Israel could not deploy advanced machine guns such as those used by U.S. Navy ships against low-flying cruise missiles.

In 1995, the U.S. and Israel decided to address the growing problem of low-flying missiles by developing a high energy laser. The idea was to build a weapons system that could detect and eliminate threats at the speed of light while maintaining a low per-kill cost. Since Hezbollah was launching thousands of rockets, the defense system had to be capable of handling a large volume of attacks. In February 1996, the prototype U.S. high energy laser, known as Nautilus, destroyed a short-range rocket at a test site in New Mexico. It was the first time that a laser had ever destroyed a ballistic missile.

In April 1996, Hezbollah guerrillas fired over two dozen Katyusha rockets at Israel within 17 days. After that, the U.S. and Israel accelerated the high energy laser project, then known as the Tactical High Energy Laser/Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator, or THEL/ACTD. Although Israel has not been attacked since it withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Israeli officials estimate that Hezbollah still has 11,000 Katyushas aimed at border towns.

Once operational, THEL will consist of four main components: a command center, a fire control radar, a pointer-tracker, and the high energy laser itself. The command center, known as Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I), will manage all aspects of the system, including detecting, tracking, and destroying incoming targets within THEL’s range. C3I will be operated by a two-man crew: a commander and a gunner.

Positioned near the hostile zone, the fire control radar will continuously scan the horizon for threats. Once an incoming rocket has been detected, the radar will calculate the target’s trajectory and enable the pointer-tracker to lock on to the target. THEL will be mounted on a large gimbaled assembly that will allow the pointer-tracker to swivel when tracking the rockets.

Once the target is within range, the pointer-tracker will focus THEL’s high-energy deuterium-fluoride (DF) laser beam on the incoming rocket. The DF laser beam is created by mixing fluorine atoms with helium and deuterium to generate DF in an excited state. A resonator extracts the DF and transforms it into a beam of coherent, monochromatic light.

The beam itself is only a few inches in diameter, but is powerful enough to heat steel at 200 yards or more. The pointer-tracker will keep the laser beam focused on the incoming rocket until the intense heat causes the warhead to explode. Debris from the blast will fall short of the rocket’s intended target, thus effectively neutralizing the threat. Once deployed, THEL will be capable of firing 60 shots before reloading. The system will operate at a per-kill cost of approximately $3,000, making it one of the most inexpensive anti-missile systems in existence.

In 2002, Northrop Grumman acquired TRW, the company that had been in charge of THEL up to that point. Northrop Grumman currently manages the system’s development and testing. Other U.S. contractors include Ball Aerospace and Brashear LP, while Israeli partners include Electro-Optic Industries, Israel Aircraft Industries, Yehud Industrial Zone, RAFAEL, and Tadiran.

To date, THEL has destroyed 28 Katyusha test rockets and five test artillery shells. On May 4, 2004, THEL’s new transportable version, known as the Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL), tracked and destroyed a large-caliber test rocket at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Ranch in New Mexico. The rocket flew faster and higher than the Katyushas, and carried a live warhead. The U.S. and Israel expect MTHEL to be operational and ready for deployment by 2007.

Northrop to Make Laser Weapon
From Bloomberg News

February 16, 2005

Northrop Grumman Corp., the third-largest U.S. defense contractor, said Tuesday that it planned to finish within 18 months a prototype of a battlefield laser weapon capable of shooting down mortars and rockets, Chief Executive Ronald D. Sugar said.

"Laser weapons aren't Buck Rogers weapons anymore," Sugar said in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington. "They're becoming a reality. Almost every day our troops face mortar and rocket fire from insurgents. What if we could shoot down those incoming shells?"

The U.S. must bring its technological advancements to the battlefield in the form of new weapons, such as lasers, and radar that can detect incoming artillery and mortar rounds, Sugar said. Such technology will help U.S. troops win street battles like those now being fought in Iraq, he said.

Over the last four years, the Army has successfully shot down rockets using Northrop's tactical high-energy laser test bed at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, Sugar said. Now the company must develop an operational prototype that could be used on the battlefield.

"Our imperative must be to provide the same asymmetric advantage we now have on the broader battlefield to our troops in the streets and alleyways of Baghdad, Fallouja or wherever they may be," Sugar, 56, said. "We don't want our soldiers to have to face insurgents in a fair fight. We want to be able to see the enemy when he can't see us."

Century City-based Northrop last week established a new business unit, directed energy systems, as part of its space-technology group. The unit will handle development of the tactical high-energy laser and another weapon called the airborne laser.

Although the Defense Department may cut some large programs for ships and aircraft under a budget proposed this month, there is room for development of new weapons, Sugar said.

August 8, 2006: Many Israelis are complaining that development of a, laser based anti-missile system, called THEL, which was recently cancelled, could have been used to stop some of the Hizbollah rockets coming out of Lebanon. Meanwhile, the American partner in THEL development is now offering a smaller version, Skyguard, for protecting commercial aircraft from portable anti-aircraft missiles. The manufacturer, Northrop Grumman, originally developed THEL (Tactical High Energy Laser) for combat situations. Tests last year showed THEL was able to knock down barrages of incoming mortar shells.

Israel was a partner in the development of THEL, which was originally supposed to enter service in 2007. When THEL was cancelled earlier this year, the laser still needed work, but the THEL radar was already in good shape. In 2004, Israel used the THEL radar to detect incoming Palestinian rockets fired from Gaza, and this provided an opportunity to operate the radar under combat conditions.

The THEL system was designed to knock down larger, and better made, rockets than the home made Palestinian Kassam rockets. In other words, THEL would have been very useful knocking down the factory made rockets Hizbollah has been firing at Israel over the last few weeks.

The THEL laser and radar system can track up to sixty targets (mortar and artillery shells, rockets) at a time and fire on and destroy these projectiles at a range of up to five kilometers. THEL can destroy about a dozen targets a minute, at a cost of some $3,000 per shot. Each THEL system (radar and laser) could thus cover about ten kilometers of border. Most Hizbollah rockets were fired in groups of a dozen or more, so THEL, if it was in the right place, could zap about half of them. Of course, given how difficult THEL was to move, Hizbollah would endeavor to fire their rockets over some other stretch of border. The Israel-Lebanon border is 79 kilometers long.

It took nine years, and over a half a billion dollars, for American and Israeli engineers to get as far as they did (one working prototype system) with THEL. Aside from the systems size and cost, there's also the problem of lasers being weakened by clouds, fog, mist or even artificial smoke. For that reason, there's not a lot of enthusiasm for proceeding right now on such a bulky and expensive system for use against small rockets. But by the end of the decade, a smaller, and cheaper, version will be more attractive, and more likely to be purchased.

THEL is a bulky system, and not really mobile. Each system requires half a dozen or more large tractor trailer trucks to carry the radar, fuel supplies and laser. A new version, the MTHEL (Mobile Tactical High-Energy Laser) was designed (using three tractor-trailers) and was tested. Engineers believe that MTHEL could be ready for battlefield use in about six years, at a cost of another billion dollars. In another few years, engineers believe they could create a MTHEL that could fit in a hummer.

The costs of THEL and MTHEL were so high, that both the American and Israeli governments pulled their support earlier this year. The manufacturer put some of their own money into the project and came up with Skyguard. This is basically THEL, which is actually suited for defending an airport against someone using portable anti-aircraft missiles (like Stinger, or the Russian made SA-7) to attack aircraft landing or taking off. Skyguard would be cheaper than equipping thousands of aircraft with individual anti-missile systems. But first, THEL has to prove that it is reliable enough to stay on-line 24/7 (or nearly so), and act effectively if there is ever an attack. No one has yet tried using these missiles in the United States, but it has happened elsewhere, especially in Africa.

The first Skyguard system would cost about $150 million, with subsequent ones costing about 70 percent less. Skyguard will also be able to handle rockets, artillery projectiles, mortars, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles. In other words, if you had a billion dollars to spare, you might be able to get a Skyguard system to defend northern Israel from rockets fired from Lebanon. Maybe. THEL is another example of technology that got out of the lab before it was ready to survive in the wild.
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Such System could be quite useful for Singapore's Integrated Air Defence system.
Particularly, rockets from potential adversaries

THEL is already in the news sometime back....

IDF sceptical about THEL

- 13 September 2000

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) has doubts that the Israeli-US Tactical High- Energy Laser (THEL) system can protect the country against 'Katyusha' rocket attacks from Lebanon. IDF commanders told Jane's Defence Weekly that as a result they are not pressing the Israeli government to immediately deploy the system.

http://www.janes.com/defence/news_briefs/jdw000913_02.shtml

Latest :

“………….Perhaps the most dramatic boost to Israel’s new defense of the Lebanese border will come later this year when the first Tactical High-Energy Laser (THEL) unit is deployed by the IDF to detonate Katyusha rockets in flight before they reach northern communities. An important milestone in the development of this system occurred June 6 in White Sands, N.M. when the THEL successfully destroyed a Katyusha rocket for the first time during a test. This breakthrough technology is more important now than ever because Israeli forces no longer have the nine-mile-wide security zone in southern Lebanon as a buffer between Hezbollah’s Katyushas and residents in the north……”
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsourc...ory/lebnew.html

its just a mere billion dollar.. maybe singapore should be offered as a partner.. we can pay the money... and it would benefit us too...

Well, perhaps the folks over at DSTA and DSO are researching (Or Contributing To) similar "dark" projects in collaboration with related-defense industries. Not entirely impossible either (IMHO)...


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Excellent video of the Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL) in action (Posted Similiar Video Some Time Last Year, IIRC...)...,


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~~ Project-ION Phoenix ~~ ~~ Op. IceBerge ~~ ~~ Iowa_BB61 ~~ ~~ xxKuZNeTxx ~~


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Defense Ministry to reexamine anti-missile laser

The decision was taken in view of the threat posed by Hizbullah attacks on strategic sites such as Oil Refineries Haifa.
Amon Barzilai 13 Aug 06 17:05

The Ministry of Defense has asked the US Department of Defense for information about the new model of the Skyguard Laser system for intercepting short-range Katushya and Kassam rockets.............

The decision to reconsider use of the Skyguard system was taken in view of the strategic threat posed by Hizbullah rocket attacks on strategic sites such as Oil Refineries and chemical factories in the Haifa Bay area. The latest model of the Skyguard is still on the drawing boards, so no evaluation of its performance can be made at this point.

In its letter the Ministry has requested, among other things, the following data: models prepared by the project’s main contractor Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), that served as the basis for the determining of an effective target range of 6-8 kilometers; findings corroborating the determination that the system can provide a response not just to mass produced rockets but also those built using makeshift methods and which lack a standard aerodynamic structure; the rate of possible evasion of laser detection by isolated rockets which could then hit sensitive sites; and the ability of contractors to appropriate the requisite funding for completing the modeling technology, building operational systems, and completing the project within a predetermined timeline.

Sources inform ''Globes'' that Keren is the strongest opponent to the continued development of the laser system. Formerly Chief Artillery Corps. Officer, Keren has claimed in internal discussions that that it would not take long for a multiple rocket attack to expose the system’s saturation point. Having exposed this, Hizbullah or Hamas would simply step up their barrages next time round, in order to penetrate the system’s defensive shield.

Northrop Grumman said in response that it had managed to develop software that would enable surplus interception using existing radar systems, in a similar mode to the Green Pine system used by the Arrow anti-ballistic missile. This software can provide the radar system with retroactive data on the precise location of rocket launches and anticipated points of impacts, based on the characteristics of the trajectory of each Katushya or Kassam rocket.

According to its plan, Northrop Grumman will need $300-400 million to complete development and build a prototype of the Skyguard. The company said that the new model will retain the original effective target range of 6-8 km and that the development would be completed within 12-18 months. Each interception system will cost an estimated $30-50 million. .............

http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/doc...0122336&fid=942

Here one new article by Arthas79 over the other side:

Skyguard may be rising from the dead
By Barak Ravid
Thu., August 02, 2007

The government is considering resuming funding for the advanced laser-based Skyguard missile protection system, security officials told Haaretz. They added that if the system is approved, it can be operational within 18 months.

The project was dropped about a year and a half ago, despite several successful tests and in spite of repeated rocket attacks from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, but Public Security Minister Avi Dichter has been enlisted to spearhead the effort to resurrect Skyguard by a strong lobby group, including former defense ministry officials, that has developed.

To address the threat from Palestinian Qassam rockets, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and then-defense minister Amir Peretz approved the development of an alternative missile-defense system which is based on intercepting rockets rather then laser beams. The missile interceptor, named Iron Dome ("Kipat Barzel" in Hebrew), was to be developed by Rafael, the national authority for the development of weapons and military technology, and completed within three years.

Olmert and Peretz's decision to go ahead with the Iron Dome project was made in conjunction with the Defense Ministry's recommendation to develop the system in Israel, and facilitated by the fact that a foreign country agreed to allocate considerable funds toward developing the system.

However, the pro-Skyguard group argued that Skyguard was nearly completed, requiring minimal further investment to make it operational. They urged Dichter to persuade other decision-makers to approve the resumption of its development in addition to the Iron Dome project. They added that the combination of both systems would yield optimal results.

Supporters of reviving the laser-based project pointed out that it had passed performance tests in the U.S. with flying colors, registering a successful interception rate of nearly 100 percent. Northrop Grumman Space Technology's Skyguard is an advanced derivative model of the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL/Nautilus) project. Initially, the project was launched in 1996 by Israel and the U.S., and was meant to counter Hezbollah's 122mm Katyusha rockets.

Link
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Wonder which nation is funding this Iron Dome project, SG? India?

Whatever it is, good news for us. B)

great stuff. this is the next generation in anti-rocket/missile/arty shell technologies and i do hope we invest in it. with development it could handle applications like shipboard CIWS and airborne SAM/AAM countermeasures, and of course become a weapon in its own right. so much potential!

Hmm... interesting... I have inkings of our usual collaboration with Israel on all manners of things... can't say much however but Israel is one of the leaders in lasers when it comes to power.

But it seems to be a chemical laser and those lasers are nasty. They are fragile and dangerous. They have yet to switch to solid state lasers yet.

Other than SG, India is another country that has close defence relationship with Israel. No?

Yes,both countries has funded some Israeli military projects in the past, and both are among the best customers of Israeli weaponary and technology.

Airborne Laser shoots down 1st ballistic target

The Boeing Airborne Laser Testbed successfully shot down a Scud missile-like target at 2044 PST off the California coast, a landmark achievement in the $6 billion programme's 16-year history.

The ALTB, a 747-400 freighter modified with a 1MW-class chemical laser and a 1.5m telescope mounted on the nose, used onboard sensors to acquire the short-range ballistic target shortly after launch from an offshore, mobile platform, the Missile Defense Agency says in a press release.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/...tic-target.html

wow, big hats off to those behind the project, its really not easy trying to develop such a device to essentially snipe a moving target whilst running...

Same subject appearing on Strategypage

The Weapon Of The Future Blows Something Up
February 16, 2010:

For the first time, after a decade of development, the U.S. Air Force fired its ALT (Airborne Laser Testbed) laser while in flight and hit a rapidly (1,800 meters a second) rising ballistic missile. The laser beam took several seconds to weaken the missile structure, and cause it to come apart. This test came only eight months after the smaller Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) was fired in flight for the first time. The target was some lumber on the ground, which was hit. The ATL weapon was carried in a C-130H four engine transport.
Five years ago, manufacturers of combat lasers believed these weapons were only a few years away from battlefield use. To that end, Northrop-Grumman set up a new division to develop and build battle lasers. This optimism was caused by two successful tests six years ago. In one, a solid state laser shot down a mortar round. In another, a much more powerful chemical laser, hit a missile type target. Neither of these tests led to any useable weapons, and the combat laser remains the "weapon of the future."

Solid state lasers have been around since the 1950s, and chemical lasers first appeared in the 1970s. The chemical laser has the advantage of using a chemical reaction to create the megawatt level of energy for a laser that can penetrate the body of a ballistic missile that is still rising in the air hundreds of kilometers away. The chemical reaction uses atomized liquid hydrogen peroxide and potassium hydroxide and chlorine gas to form an ionized form of oxygen known as singlet delta oxygen (SDO). This, in turn is rapidly mixed with molecular iodine gas to form ionized iodine gas. At that point, the ionized iodine gas rapidly returns to its resting state, and while doing so releases photons pulsing at the right frequency to create the laser light. These photons are channeled by mirrors and sent on their way to the target (which is being tracked and pinpointed by other lasers). The airborne laser weighs about six tons. It can be carried in a C-130H, producing a laser powerful enough to hit airborne or ground targets fifteen kilometers away. The laser exists via a targeting turret under the nose of the aircraft. The laser beam is invisible to the human eye. The chemicals are mixed at high speeds, and the byproducts are harmless heat, potassium salt, water, and oxygen. A similar laser, flying in a larger aircraft (B-747) is to have enough range to knock down ballistic missiles as they take off. This is what was used in the recent test.

Nearly half a century of engineering work has produced thousands of improvements, and a few breakthroughs, in making the lasers more powerful, accurate and lethal. More efficient energy storage has made it possible to use lighter, shorter range ground based lasers effective against smaller targets like mortar shells and short-range rockets. Northrops' move was an indication that the company felt confident enough to gamble its own money, instead of what they get for government research contracts, to produce useful laser weapons. A larger high energy airborne laser would not only be useful against ballistic missiles. Enemy aircraft and space satellites would also be at risk. But companies like Northrop and Boeing are still trying to produce ground and airborne lasers that can successfully operate under combat conditions. The big problem with anti-missile airborne lasers is the power supply. Lots of chemicals are needed to generate sufficient power for a laser that can reach out for hundreds of kilometers and do sufficient damage to a ballistic missile. To be effective, the airborne laser needs sufficient power to get off several shots. So far, no one has been able to produce such a weapon. That's why these lasers remain "the weapon of the future," and will probably remain so for a while.

Hmmm, chemical lasers seem to be environmentally friendly..

The by-products may be harmless but the reactants and intermediates are crazy dangerous. Imagine giant tanks of Hydrogen peroxide and Chlorine gas on board a plane-- a crash would cause the surrounding area to be contaminated for a long time! If only they could overcome the problems with scaling up solid state lasers...

I'm confused, was it a C-130H or a B747-400 that mounted the laser?

the test in question ? 747. but a smaller version was tested out Last year by LM engineers on a C130H

@edwin3060

still better than exoatmospheric KV. that would create millions of tiny fragments that could potentially doom spaceflight and damage other satellites in orbit.

tt makes it clearer...I rmb they chose the 747 due to its ability to have long loiter times and to carry all that weight...but seeing how its even operable on a C-130, I can't imagine how much 'ammo' the 747 ABL can carry :ph43r:

[edit] forgot to add, it wasn't only loiter, but loiter at relatively high altitude...