ST. LOUIS, 21 Feb. 2008. The Boeing Company won a $49 million U.S. Air Force contract to advance laser technology.

Under the Laser Application Support and In-house Research and Development (LASIR) contract, awarded Feb. 1, Boeing will support research, design, development, and testing at Air Force Research Laboratory sites at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M.

Specific efforts will include:

Working to advance gas, hybrid electric-gas, and chemical laser systems, and technologies related to high-power fiber lasers, fiber laser pumps, non-linear optics, solid-state lasers and diode-pump lasers.
Coordinating, preparing and executing tests of laser effects.

Rapid prototyping of directed energy technology, including semiconductor lasers, thin-disk lasers, ultra-short lasers, laser-based infrared countermeasures, and mid-wave and long-wave infrared lasers.

Supporting the Laser Center of Excellence, a joint Department of Defense/academic program that partners the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Air Force Research Lab, Air Force Institute of Technology, University of New Mexico and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. The Center's efforts include gas, hybrid electric-gas and chemical laser systems.

Boeing is involved in directed energy research and development for such military applications as the Airborne Laser, Advanced Tactical Laser, High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator, and Tactical Relay Mirror System.