US Army Awards Team Dynetics $130M Contract for High Energy Laser
The U.S. Army has awarded a $130 million contract to Dynetics Inc. and its partners to build a U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC)/Army Forces Strategic Command High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL TVD) , a 100-kW-class laser weapon system.
“High energy laser weapons have been a system that the United States has wanted to add into their defense portfolio since the invention of the laser,” said Ronnie Chronister, senior vice president of contracts at Dynetics. “We are glad to be selected to build this new and safe weapon system that will provide a simple, yet cost-effective approach in theater.”
The team successfully completed a preliminary design review, and government and industry representatives reviewed pages of technical documents and hardware. The government’s evaluation concluded that the HEL TVD system approach is feasible and executable and that the overall risk of an unsuccessful integrated system demonstration is low.
Team Dynetics will move to the critical design review as soon as possible. This phase will finalize the design prior to system fabrication, documenting how laser science has matured into an achievable military reality. Long-lead material orders will commence during this time. Subsequently, the team will build and integrate the laser weapon system into an Army family of medium tactical vehicle platforms and conduct field testing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico per SMDC’s program plan.
Lockheed Martin, as the laser weapon system integrator, will provide the laser weapon subsystem, optimizing the performance of the laser module, power and cooling systems, and operator interfaces.
Rolls-Royce LibertyWorks will design the integrated power and thermal management system to successfully meet or exceed the requirements of the HEL TVD program.
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