Lockheed Martin supplied the US Air Force (USAF) with the first laser weapon for use aboard fighter aircraft. Called LANCE, the weapon has been in development since 2017.
LANCE (Laser Advancement for Next Generation Compact Environment) is part of the USAF's SHiELD (Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator) program and, as the name implies, seeks to develop not an offensive weapon, but a defense one.
The system is built in a pod that is then mounted on a fighter jet, just like other weapons such as missiles and bombs. From there, the laser can be used to shoot down missiles or light aircraft like drones.
According to the portal Breaking Defense, the delivery of the LANCE laser to the USAF Laboratory took place in February, but only now has Lockheed revealed to journalists during the Farnborough Air Show.
“It is the smallest and lightest high-energy laser in its power class that Lockheed Martin has built to date”, said Tyler Griffin, an executive at the company, during the aerospace show. “It is a critical benchmark in the development of an operational laser weapons system in the air domain.”
SHiELD is based on the development of three systems, with Lockheed Martin's LANCE being one of them. The other two are a beam control, which directs the laser, plus the pod that charges the entire system. Northrop Grumman is still working on the laser guidance system, while Boeing has already delivered the pod.
“Mission utility analyzes and wargaming studies are ongoing and will help determine how these subsystems and/or an integrated laser weapons system could be used. Specific goals for future testing and demonstrations will also be determined by the results of these studies.” continued Griffin.
The executive explains that now that the laser has been delivered to the USAF, the next step is to integrate the weapon with the thermal system that manages the heating and cooling of the LANCE.
Despite the delivery of the laser, the system is not yet complete. As such, the USAF has not given a date for testing the advanced weaponry aboard its fighter jets.
The US has already tested the use of lasers on aircraft in the past, but starting with large aircraft such as the YAL-1, based on the Boeing 747-400, and the NKC-135. Over time, lasers – which require an enormous amount of energy – have decreased in size while becoming more powerful. Israel recently announced that it has the first anti-aircraft laser gun in the world.
