A US Army Stryker outfitted with a BlueHalo Locust laser performed a demonstration for the service taking down unmanned aircraft systems. (Leonardo DRS)
After the US government donated a US Army Stryker armoured fighting vehicle, a team of eight defence contractors led by Leonardo DRS and BlueHalo put together a new directed energy laser capability aimed at counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) threats.
The new vehicle is a standalone effort unrelated to the programme of record Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) and will be on display at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) conference on 14 October, according to executives from BlueHalo and Leonardo DRS. After an eight-month-long integration process, the defence contractor team performed a live-fire test in Socorro, New Mexico, that took down 14 Group 1, 2, and 3 UASs, said Ed House, senior director of business development for land systems at Leonardo DRS.
These UASs were taken down in a handful of seconds each at an unspecified range, which was limited by airspace regulations. However, he noted that the range was different from the army's existing C-UAS on a Stryker platform. “Quite frankly, it performed better than I expected it to perform,” said House.
Instead of being a rival to the programme of record, which has already transitioned from the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) to Program Executive Office Missiles and Space, the companies leading the effort see it as a complementary capability to the existing C-UAS platforms.
Instead of using batteries, the 55 kW laser is powered by Leonardo's “advanced power” solution that enables continuous lasing, Mary Clum, president of the product and space systems portfolio at BlueHalo, told Janes in an interview.
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