The U.S. Air Force has released a new request for a laser weapon that could be mounted on a next-generation air dominance fighter in the post-2030 era.
Above image: A Lockheed Martin concept for a sixth-generation concept aircraft to replace the F-22 Raptor. Lockheed Martin Illustration.
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) said in a Request for Information document posted on FEDBIZOPPS last week:
“The emphasis of this effort is to identify potential laser systems that could be integrated into a platform that will provide air dominance in the 2030+ highly contested Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) environments.”
The Laser Weapon System (LaWS) temporarily installed aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) (shown here conducting an operational test) in San Diego, Calif., is a technology demonstrator built by the Naval Sea Systems Command from commercial fiber solid state lasers, utilizing combination methods developed at the Naval Research Laboratory.
source usni
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