The Free Electron Laser has its critics, including a Senate committee. And it was sucking up all the oxygen inside the Navys laser efforts. So, as InsideDefense.com first reported, ONR decided, effectively, to break them up into the laser equivalent of weight classes. Generating a 100-kilowatt beam is now the province of solid state lasers, lasers that focus light through a solid gain medium, like a crystal or a optical fibers. The Free Electron Laser, which uses magnets to generate its beam, will stay focused on getting up to a megawatt.
That, the Navys scientists contend, will get an actual, working laser cannon onto a ship faster. Yes, a 100-kilowatt laser isnt as powerful as the longed-for megawatt gun. And yes, a solid-state laser cant operate on multiple wavelengths, while a Free Electron Laser can, making the mega-laser more useful when the sea air is full of crud and pollution. But the Office of Naval Research says that lots of active, near-term threats to ships will be vulnerable to the 100-kilowatt, solid state laser.
Its easier to shrink down a solid-state laser [to get on a ship], and theres a maturity here, vice the Free Electron Laser, says Deitchman. The solid-state laser will still deal with many asymmetric threats, but not the most hardened, most challenging threats. Its near-to-mid term. The Free Electron Laser is still long-term.
Theres another advantage to developing a less-powerful laser first. The Navys surface ships dont yet have the power generation necessary for spooling up a megawatt-class laser or at least not if they dont want to potentially be dead in the water. Thats one of the reasons the Senate Armed Services Committee is skeptical of the Free Electron Laser. Its not clear that the ships can cope with diverting 100 kilowatts of power, either, but the Office of Naval Research thinks they can, and the laser geeks are working closely with the Naval Sea Systems Command to make sure the scientists are writing checks that the ships generators can cash.
