Lockheed Martin to Deliver Laser Weapon Test Unit for US Navy Ship by 2020

Lockheed Martin Aculight is being awarded a $150,022,901 contract for Surface Navy Laser Weapon System Increment 1, High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-dazzler with surveillance system.

Under this contract Lockheed Martin Aculight will develop, manufacture, and deliver two test units in fiscal 2020, one unit for US Navy destoryer DDG 51 FLT IIA, and one for land-based testing, a US DoD announcement said Friday.

This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $942,818,114.

A request for proposal for the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system had been released by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) on 18 June 2017.

Under the HELIOS program, the US Navy is seeking a 60-kW-class high-energy laser combined with counterintelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance dazzling capability. The system will provide increased self-defense and area defense, offer deep magazine capacity and significantly decrease the cost per engagement for low to midrange land, asymmetric surface and air threats.