Lockheed Lands HELLADS Role

SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 5 -- Lockheed Martin said today it was selected by General Atomics as weapon system integrator for the High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS).

General Atomics' Photonics Division is under contract to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and demonstrate the lightweight, solid-state laser weapon system. As weapon system integrator, Lockheed Martin will support those efforts and has assembled a team led by its Space Systems Company with two of its sister companies, Aeronautics and Missiles and Fire Control. SAIC is also a member of the team.

The HELLADS initiative will investigate and validate a new laser design that enables a laser weapon system to achieve an order of magnitude reduction in weight with respect to other high-energy laser system concepts. The HELLADS program will design, fabricate and test a subscale laser device, followed by fabrication and testing of a prototype high-energy laser weapon system. Once key weapon system parameters have been demonstrated, a tactical-scale HELLADS system will be developed and integrated into a surrogate military platform for demonstration of key capabilities.

General Atomics, based in San Diego, specializes in research, development and manufacturing in energy, defense and other technologies. Its affiliate company, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, builds the Predator and other unmanned aerial vehicle systems, and its Reconnaissance Systems Group builds Lynx synthetic aperture radars. The Photonics Division develops emerging technologies in solid-state lasers, sensors, diffractive optics and ultrawide band technologies.

For more information, visit: www.darpa.mil/tto/programs/hellads.html