Air Force eyes battery-operated laser

U.S. Air Force leaders are teaming with engineers in private industry to develop a battery-operated laser suitable for emergency battlefield surgery, or to send a low-power beam of light visible with special goggles or instrumentation. Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., signed a cooperative research and development agreement with executives of Fiber Optic Fabrications Inc. (CeramOptec) of East Longmeadow, Mass., to draw on the strengths of both organizations to produce a multi-role infrared laser system. Such a laser could spotlight and secretly observe the movement of enemy troops at night or detect illegal drug smuggling, Air Force officials say. For more information, contact Fiber Optic Fabrications (CeramOptec) by phone at 413-525-0600, by fax at 413-525-0611, by post at 515 Shaker Road, East Longmeadow, Mass. 01028, or on the World Wide Web at http://www. ceramoptec.com/. — J.K.