Raytheon recently issued a statement saying that the US Army ’s Apache Project Management Office and Raytheon, in conjunction with the US Special Operations Command, successfully completed the test of the high-energy laser pointer system installed on the AH-64 Apache helicopter.
As the US Department of Defense seeks to use lower-cost solutions instead of using expensive missiles to counter threats, the laser research and development work carried out by the Department of Defense has entered a stage of rapid development in the past few years. The use of “Apache” to carry out laser test work has been carried out for some time, the United States Special Operations Command announced in 2016 that it will test laser weapons on the “Apache” helicopter.
The test was held at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. During the test, the laser system tracked a stationary target at a distance of 1.4 kilometers and directed it to destroy it. Raytheon stated that this is the first time a fully integrated laser weapon system has hit a target from a rotorcraft in various flight attitudes, altitudes, and speeds.
Raytheon said that this test achieved all the goals, and the demonstration verified that the armed helicopter airborne high-energy laser (HEL) can provide high-resolution, multi-band target aiming sensor capabilities and light speed propagation capabilities. The data collected from the experiment, including the effects of vibration, dust and rotor airflow on the beam control and steering of the high-energy laser, will help guide the design of future high-energy lasers.
Art Morris, vice president of advanced concepts and technology for Raytheon ’s space and airborne systems, said that by combining combat-proven sensors (such as MTS) with multiple red laser pointer technologies, this can be provided to the battlefield more quickly Kinds of abilities. Mounting the laser on the Apache helicopter will also increase the number of targets it destroys in one mission. At present, an “Apache” can carry 16 “Haierfa” missiles.
As modern solid-state lasers become more powerful and compact, their applications in the military field will also be more extensive. For example, the pod lasers tested on the Apache helicopter can also be used in other helicopters in the future, allowing special operations forces and other combatants to more accurately utilize kinetic energy effects and reduce the risk of collateral damage.