TEWKSBURY, Mass., 10 June 2009. Raytheon Company won from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) a 12-month contract to develop the preliminary design of a 100-kilowatt experimental Free Electron Laser for the U.S. Navy. This preliminary design is the first of a three-phase ONR Innovative Naval Prototype program worth more than $150 million.

"Free Electron Lasers use superconducting electron accelerators to produce high-power laser beams," says Michael Del Checcolo, vice president of engineering for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. "In the future, such high-power lasers could be used to instantaneously engage targets at long ranges, enhancing the U.S. Navy's ability to combat enemies and threats at sea."

To develop this technology, Raytheon is implementing its OpenAIR business model and is teaming with experts from the Department of Energy laboratories, industry, and academia across the country.