MBDA’s Germany subsidiary, MBDA Deutschland, successfully tested a new high-energy laser effector at a military training facility from Oct. 4 -14, the company said Monday.
This series of trails are the next step in moving from technology to product and was the first time the system was tested under real environmental conditions, MBDA said. The tests occurred on Germany’s North Sea coast.
This series of trials was aimed at testing the beam guidance and tracking system, with a simulated engagement on airborne targets. During the test, targets were preset, scanned with the laser target illuminator, and an aim point was held on the target for an extended period. A quadcopter served as the airborne target and performed a set of dynamic maneuvers at a variety of ranges.
The laser effector tests verified the functionality of the overall system and the performance capability of the further improved tracking system. The system was able to successfully track all the targets involved in the trails despite adverse weather conditions and poor visibility during night trials.
MBDA also conducted experiments where the laser team simulated a defense against a swarming attack, requiring rapid switching among targets approaching from different directions.
“These successful tests demonstrated that our laser effector has achieved a high degree of technological maturity. This puts us in a leading position in the development of laser effectors”, Thomas Gottschild, managing director of MBDA Deutschland, said in a statement.
The system demonstration builds on previous laser activities and technologies. It is integrated in a standard container and is equipped with a highly dynamic 360-degree beam guidance system, MBDA said.