Backgrounder

Boeing Defense, Space & Security P.O. Box 516 St. Louis, MO 63166 www.boeing.com

Directed Energy Systems

Description and Purpose: The Directed Energy Systems (DES) unit of Boeing Strategic Missile and Defense Systems is developing several systems to address multiple defense needs and customers. Customers: Among key DES programs are the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator, funded by the U.S. Army; the Free Electron Laser and the Mk 38 Tactical Laser System, commissioned by the U.S. Navy; and the Tactical Relay Mirror System, being developed for the Air Force and the Office of the Secretary of Defense/Director of Defense Research and Engineering. High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator Boeing has been awarded a U.S. Army contract to continue developing a mobile, solidstate laser weapon system that will counter targets such as rockets, artillery shells, mortars and unmanned aerial vehicles. Under the High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD) Phase II contract, Boeing was tasked to complete the design of then build, test and evaluate a rugged beam control system on a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck. Boeing also will develop the system-engineering requirements for the entire HEL TD laser weapon system. In June 2011, Boeing completed system integration of key components for the U.S. Armys High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD). The integration included installation of the Beam Control System and critical hardware onto the Oshkosh Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck, HEL TDs vehicle platform. This milestone helped to prepare HEL TD for low-power system testing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The tests, completed in 2011, demonstrated the systems ability to acquire, track and target moving projectiles. In the next phase, the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD), Boeing will integrate and test a high power system. When completed, the HEL MD will consist of a ruggedized and supportable high energy laser and subsystems installed on a tactical military vehicle.

In operation, HEL MDs beam control system will acquire, track and select an aimpoint on a target during the same timeframe in which the system also will receive the laser beam from the laser device, reshape and align it, and focus it on the target. The system includes mirrors, high-speed processors and high-speed optical sensors. The objective of the HEL MD program is to demonstrate that a mobile, solid-state laser weapon system can effectively counter rocket, artillery and mortar projectiles. HEL MD is a cornerstone of the Armys high-energy laser program and will support the transition of directed energy technologies to Army acquisition programs. Free Electron Laser Boeing has been awarded a U.S. Navy contract to develop the Free Electron Laser (FEL) weapon system, which will transform naval warfare in the next decade by providing an ultra-precise, speed-of-light capability and unlimited magazine depth to defend ships against the most challenging threats. Under the initial task order awarded by the Office of Naval Research, Boeing completed a preliminary design of the electric-powered Free Electron Laser, the key step toward building a FEL prototype to be tested at sea. In September of 2010, Boeing was awarded an additional task order to complete the critical design of the FEL lab demonstrator. This critical design review phase will be completed in March 2012, after which the Navy intends to proceed with fabrication and testing in a laboratory environment. FEL is designed to operate by passing a beam of high-energy electrons through a series of powerful magnetic fields, generating an intense beam of laser light. Mk 38 Tactical Laser System The Mk 38 Mod 2 Machine Gun System (MGS) with Tactical Laser System (TLS), under development for the U.S. Navy, is designed to bring a scalable, highly accurate force protection capability to both combatant and non-combatant ships. The stabilized, remotecontrol Mk 38 Mod 2 MGS, which is deployed worldwide, and TLS together provide scalable effects against multiple surface and air threats. The TLS is paired with the MGS, sharing deck space and the initial sensing and pointing systems operator control console. Likewise, the same operator that remotely controls and fires the MGS, controls and fires the laser with the ability to shift between systems as the tactical situation dictates. By coupling a solid-state, high energy laser weapon module with the operational Mk 38 gun platform on a single mount, this system will advance the Navys capability to counter surface and air threats such as small boats and UAVs affordably and with high precision. Tactical Relay Mirror System Relay mirror systems will greatly enhance the performance of laser weapon systems by reducing the atmospheres effects on laser beams, extending their range beyond line of sight and expanding potential laser engagement geometries. Boeing is under contract to the Air Force and the Office of the Secretary of Defense to design, fabricate and test the Tactical Relay Mirror System, which could be carried on

unmanned aerial vehicles or balloon-like aerostats and be used with tactical ground and airborne lasers. Boeing Internal R&D Boeing is investing its own money in several efforts that promise to equip the warfighter with directed energy capability. These efforts include the Boeing Acquisition Tracking and Pointing (ATP) System, which is capable of handling low- and mid-power laser systems. ATP provides a tailored, integrated, and cost-effective solution for both homeland security and force protection. Mounted on the currently deployed Avenger platform, the laser system can provide options for lethal and non-lethal weapons to counter both air and ground threats. With its acquisition and targeting camera, high power fiber laser and laser range finder, the laser system provides detection, surveillance and expanded security, in any environment. During laser firings conducted in September 2007 at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., the laser-equipped Avenger engaged and destroyed five static ground targets representing improvised explosive device (IED) and unexploded ordinance (UXO) threats. During December 2008 testing, the system engaged and destroyed a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from an operationally relevant range, marking the first time a combat vehicle has used a laser to shoot down a UAV. It destroyed another UAV and 50 IEDs in separate 2009 tests. ### Contact: Elizabeth Merida Strategic Missile & Defense Systems 703-872-4245 elizabeth.a.merida@boeing.com March 2012