ARLINGTON, VA – BlueHalo has successfully executed the delivery and installation of its Laser Instrumented Diagnostic Suite (LIDS) to the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia. LIDS is a first-of-its-kind suite of High-Energy Laser (HEL) performance instrumentation and atmospheric characterization sensors providing operators with the ability to quickly diagnose HEL beam performance and understand the impact of varying atmospheric conditions prior to costly flight tests. This system is the first of four LIDS units that BlueHalo is delivering to test sites across the United States following contract award in April 2020 and successful prototype demonstration in April 2022.
“Directed energy offers improved accuracy and faster response times along with a lower cost per shot than traditional kinetic weapons systems, fueling the growth of high energy laser weapons systems for military solutions,” said Dr. Vikram Manikonda, BlueHalo Chief Technology Officer. “Before LIDS, there was no comprehensive diagnostic tool to support the significant testing and calibration requirements of these systems. LIDS is a critical new resource for our national defense customers–increasing the accuracy and efficiency of laser weapons while reducing test and operational costs to support mission success.”
LIDS is a universal diagnostic tool supporting all HEL systems with laser power measurements up to 150 kW. The system provides power vs. time and irradiance data between shots and a full range of post-test data–including max power, power-in-the-bucket, peak beam irradiance, spot size, centroid and centroid drift, jitter, and total fluence. LIDS also measures meteorological data like wind speed and direction, temperature, pressure, and relative humidity to provide operators with a better understanding of atmospheric conditions and impact. This atmospheric sensor data is integrated with Laser Environmental Effects Definition and Reference (LEEDR) to document molecular absorption and scattering, aerosol absorption and scattering, and total transmission percentage. LIDS is integrated into a 30’ trailer for easy transport and positioning.
“With solutions like the LIDS diagnostic tool and our suite of LOCUST laser systems, BlueHalo is proud to offer a full range of innovative HEL technologies from research and testing to deployed protection,” said Jimmy Jenkins, BlueHalo Sector President. “These capabilities are a prime example of BlueHalo’s directed energy superiority and commitment to meeting the needs of our customers at mission speed.”
BlueHalo will complete delivery of all four LIDS units to multi-service DoD partners by September 2023.
About BlueHalo
BlueHalo is purpose-built to provide industry-leading capabilities in the domains of Space Superiority, Space Technology, Directed Energy/cUAS, Autonomy, Advanced RF, Cyber, and SIGINT. BlueHalo focuses on inspired engineering to develop, transition, and field next generation capabilities to solve the most complex challenges of our customers’ critical missions and reestablish our national security posture in the near-peer contested arena. www.bluehalo.com
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