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This Defense Intelligence Reference Document from the Defense Intelligence Agency, dated 1 November 2010, was produced under the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications (AAWSA) Program. It describes nanosatellite technologies and proposes launching nanosats into orbit with laser Lightcraft propulsion. It also covers a weapon mission selection study and multi-megawatt laser options. The author recommends that the Department of Defense and NASA bring Lightcraft R&D back to the United States and restart the X-50LR flight demonstration program.
“The Advance”13 pages
UNCLASSIFIED//F8~ 8FFl&I.«1k WliEii a,.klf 30% wall plug efficiency, and pulse repetition rates ranging from a few kHz to 1000 kHz. This exponential growth in beam output power is the result of many factors, including the parallel development of efficient, narrow-band pump diode lasers; and the development of novel fiber geometries such as double-clad fibers and photonic crystal fiber cores (a.k.a. photonic crystal fibers). At present, HPFLs for industrial use routinely achieve SO kW to 70 kW of beam power, and such systems have already been modified for weapons applications with a goal toward achieving > 100 kW of beam output power within 18 to 24 months after the publication of this report. As fiber beam output power continues to increase exponentially, individual fibers can be combined coherently for increasing the total beam output power well beyond what has already been achieved by BSSSLs while providing several advantages. HPFLs have several advantages over BSSSLs. They are more efficient, easier to cool due to the large surface area-to-volume ratio, more durable, smaller and lighter, more easily allow the beam to be directed to the target, and have excellent beam quality. Fiber lasers also benefit from economies of scale and are relatively inexpensive devices. HPFLs possess the following unique characteristics, which make them very highly competitive with any chemical, gas dynamic, or bulk solid-state laser systems [31]: • Reliability. • High level of safety. • User-friendly. • Maintenance-free. • Low-cost performance, high-volume production. • Compact size and low weight. • Wide range of wavelength selection and wavelength tunability. • Excellent beam quality and stability. • Very high wall plug and optical efficiencies. • Variety of power oscillator or master oscillator-power amplifier designs (see Figure 22). • Scalability of beam output power, variety of fiber beam combining techniques: scalable to 1 to 2 MW beam power within 1 to 2 years (see Figure 23). 53 UNCLASSIFIED/ /PSR: 8Pfl81.t.k WEEii 0111 Y
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Report, from the dia collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 77 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.