US Air Force asks Raytheon for laser arrays
Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology - 10:57 AM EDT Thursday, September 13, 2007
A unit of defense firm Raytheon has won a U.S. Air Force deal to help improve laser-based systems.
Raytheon Co.'s operations in Marlborough has won a contract modification for $15.9 million from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to build an array of individual laser 'sub-apertures' that could act as either transmitters or receivers of laser energy, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
More importantly, they will be able to be steered individually or scaled together to create a larger aperture laser. Applications could include laser weapons, laser targeting/sensing, laser communications, and laser countermeasure, according to officials.
Already $4.17 million has been obligated under the contract, which was awarded out of Wright-Patterson AFB. in Ohio.
Raytheon is a government defense contractor that supplies hardware and technical services to the military, space, information technology and aircraft industries. The company reported annual net sales of $20.3 billion in 2006 and employs 80,000 people worldwide.
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