Details this week of a broad area announcement from the US Navy's research wing that outlines a plan to further develop so-called "directed energy" laser weapons for at-sea use in combat-like situations.
Assuming that the project goes ahead, its aim will be to deliver a laser "gun" capable of real-world operation, perhaps by as soon as 2016, with ONR looking to build on what appear to be promising results delivered under the existing robust electric laser initiative (RELI).
And the topic will be a hot one at the SPIE Security+Defence event, taking place in Edinburgh later this month. Among the plenary speakers will be Mark Neice, director of US High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office, who will discuss efforts to accelerate development of high-energy laser weapons.
That will kick off a series of conference sessions dedicated to the topic, complete with speakers from the US Air Force, Lockheed's Aculight division (part of the RELI program), MBDA Germany, the thin-disk laser pioneer Adolf Giesen and many more.
For anybody with an interest in future laser weapons, it looks like a must-attend.
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