The Army wants to mount the Navy’s 100-kilowatt laser weapon on its medium tactical vehicles. The weapon could add significant anti-air and missile-defense firepower to the platform, the service’s top acquisitions officer believes.
“The advantage of the laser … is that we have the ability to have an unlimited magazine when it comes to unmanned aerial systems, as well as rockets, artillery, mortar,” said Lt. Gen. Paul Ostrowski, principal military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, during a July 17 presentation for the Association of the U.S. Army.
The Army and Navy have been working together on the weapon, which is called the High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator. Once ready, it would dwarf the 50-kilowatt laser that the service plans to install on Stryker combat vehicles — possibly topping out as high as 250 watts.
Ostrowski emphasized the weapon’s potential cost effectiveness. It would be considerably less expensive, he said, than the current technology that requires firing a $100,000 missile at an unmanned vehicle worth about $7,000.
“We’re taking those targets down in a much more rapid fashion and a much cheaper fashion,” Ostrowski said.
