The Defense Department has awarded General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GASS) in Poway $39.8 million for continuing development of the High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS), a high-energy weapon that will eventually be incorporated into tactical aircraft and unmanned aircraft.
The work will be done on behalf of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is trying to develop everything from unmanned underwater vehicles that can stalk enemy submarines to a flying armoured car. DARPA says that HELLADS “will significantly increase engagement ranges compared to ground-based systems.”
GASS engineers are working on a 150 kilowatt laser that will be used in ground-based field tests that are meant to simulate firings from the ground, air and sea, hitting multiple targets in sequence. The goal is to create a weapon capable of destroying surface-to-air missiles and rockets. The company is already broadly involved in defense research and production, developing such well-known Predator family of UAS, and Trident, a tactical airborne laser.
Source: Sign On San Diego