In a demonstration for the US Department of Defense, Boeing showed off their Thin Disk Laser system, achieving a level of efficiency never seen before in a laser weapon. During the tests the Thin Disk Laser achieved an output of 30kW, some 30 percent more than the basic requirements for the Department of Defense's Robust Electric Laser Initiative (RELI).
According to Michael Rinn, VP and program director of Boeing’s Directed Energy Systems, “These demonstrations prove the military utility of laser systems". Rinn explained, “In order to be truly viable as a weapons-class system, a laser must achieve high brightness while simultaneously remaining efficient at higher power. Our team has shown that we have the necessary power, the beam quality, and the efficiency to deliver such a system to the battlefield."
To meet these expectations, Boeing’s Thin Disk System uses a layer of lasing material that acts as the gain and amplifier for the laser. By using this method Boeing can create a high-energy beam with both brightness and power sufficient for military applications. To complete the system Boeing’s engineers packed a series of these laser systems into their Thin Disk Laser device, generating a massive amount of energy focused in a single beam.
When we’ll see laser weapons in real life is anyone’s guess. Hopefully, in the future, this technology can be used for peacetime operations like infrastructure development and deconstruction.
Images Courtesy of Boeing