The American short-range laser air defense system showed "phenomenal results" in tests. Yesterday, August 18, the portal defensenews.com He reported that Northrop Grumman dropped out of the tender, and only a prototype of the DE M-SHORAD system from Raytheon participated in its final tests.
The development, called Directed Energy-Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense or DE M-SHORAD, is designed to protect mobile groups from threats from the air. If the early versions of the prototypes carried laser installations with a power of 2 kW and 5 kW, which made it possible to hit small drones, then during the last tests the power of the light beam was already 50 kW.
DE M-SHORAD by Raytheon
Image source: army.mil
During previous tests, a prototype from Northrop Grumman caught fire due to problems with heat dissipation. The developers were unable to solve this problem, while the prototype from Raytheon successfully coped with the tasks during all the tests.
According to Lieutenant General Neil Thurgood, director of the RCCTO division (Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office), during the latest tests, the DE M-SHORAD installation from Raytheon showed "phenomenal results". The laser system successfully hit artillery shells and mines, small and medium-sized drones, as well as "some other targets" in the air. Already next year, four DE M-SHORAD installations will be delivered to the troops for trial operation, and in 2023 a decision will be made on the serial production of a mobile laser installation.
