Currently, the contract has been reduced to financing only one prototype.
The US Army refuses to switch to mass production of its most powerful laser weapon – the 300-kilowatt IFPC-HEL complex (known as “Valkyrie”), which was developed to destroy cruise missiles and drones. This is reported by Defense News, Dengi.ua reports. The PromPolitInform portal informs.
It is noted that the military has concluded that existing laser technologies are not yet ready to intercept such targets. Unlike conventional drones, cruise missiles have reinforced nose fairings and armored hulls designed to survive in conditions of strong atmospheric friction. To burn through such protection, the laser needs a long and continuous impact of colossal energy, which is a significant challenge for systems like IFPC-HEL.
According to the CRS report, the contract has been reduced to funding only one prototype. It is currently undergoing final laboratory tests at Lockheed Martin in New Jersey, and will go to the testing ground in Utah in the summer. It is noted that earlier the US Army for similar reasons refused a 50-kilowatt laser based on Stryker armored vehicles.
Now the Pentagon is completely changing its approach and focusing on a new project – the Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS). This is a joint development of the US Army and Navy, which is being created as part of the large-scale defense strategy “Golden Dome for America”.
As we wrote earlier, Ukraine is ready to produce missiles for the American Patriot air defense system itself, but this requires permission from the US.
We have also already written that the Australian company Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited (EOS) announced the signing of a unique export agreement – the world’s first contract for the supply of a 100 kW laser air defense system designed to combat drone swarm attacks.
