Lockheed Martin [LMT] yesterday said it successfully demonstrated its Area Defense Anti-Munitions (ADAM) system in multiple tests against free-flying Qassam-like rocket targets.
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| ADAM System Courtesy Lockheed Martin |
The prototype laser system has destroyed eight small-caliber rocket targets in flight at a range of approximately 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) in tests conducted in March and April.
Lockheed Martin is developing the transportable, ground-based ADAM laser system to provide a defense against short-range threats, including improvised rockets such as Qassam rockets, unmanned aerial systems and small boats.
“Lockheed Martin is funding the development of the ADAM system using our independent research and development funds,” Lynn Fisher, a Lockheed Martin spokeswoman, told Defense Daily. The work has been going on for about three years.
The tests represent increasingly complex scenarios against representative airborne targets. In 2012, the system successfully destroyed 11 small-caliber rocket targets in simulated flight tethered to a cable at a range of approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles), the company said in a statement. The system also successfully engaged an unmanned aerial system target in flight at a range of approximately 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) in 2012.
“Our test results demonstrate the capabilities of the ADAM system to provide a practical, affordable directed-energy solution to the real-world problem of close-in threats,” said Tory Bruno, president of Strategic and Missile Defense Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.
Designed for short-range defense of high-value assets including forward operating bases, the ADAM system’s 10-kilowatt fiber laser is engineered to destroy targets up to 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away.
“We have demonstrated that the 10-kilowatt laser, when focused by our beam control software, has sufficient power to negate the close-in, short-range threats against which the ADAM system is designed to defend,” Fisher said. “At this time, 10 kilowatts is the highest single-mode power available in a commercial laser with sufficient beam quality for this application. As we address more complex threats, we will evaluate the need for more powerful laser devices.”
The system precisely tracks targets in cluttered optical environments and has a tracking range of more than 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). The system is being designed to be flexible enough to operate against rockets as a standalone system and to engage unmanned aerial systems with an external cue. Lockheed Martin based the design on commercial hardware components paired with its laser beam control architecture and software to provide the performance needed for these types of threats without the cost and time required for full custom development. The system is integrated in a container that is mounted on a trailer, making it readily transportable.
“High-energy lasers complement kinetic energy systems and have unique attributes, including very low cost per engagement, a virtually unlimited ‘magazine’ and minimal collateral damage,” said Doug Graham, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of advanced programs for Strategic and Missile Defense Systems.