KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. — U.S. Air Force aerial warfare experts are launching a new effort to increase the power and efficiency of laser weapons to make them suitable for next-generation tactical aircraft.
Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., issued a broad agency announcement in January (FA9451-19-S-0001) for the Compact High Energy Laser Subsystem Engineering Assessment (CHELSEA) project.
Air Force researchers are moving closer to developing enabling technologies for laser weapons aboard jet fighters and other combat aircraft.
CHELSEA seeks to identify the most promising technologies for significant increases in power over previous efforts to develop an airborne laser weapon for tactical aircraft.
Specifically, CHELSEA seeks to identify technologies that offer significant increases in power of prototypes developed in the Air Force Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) project and its laser subsystem called Laser Advancements for Next Generation Compact Environments (LANCE).
Air Force researchers say they will use CHELSEA data to help design and build by 2024 a Technology Readiness Level-5 laser prototype of a compact, ruggedized, high-energy laser subsystem suitable for tactical aircraft able to fly at near the speed of sound.
Now the CHELSEA project seeks to bring SHiELD and LANCE to a whole new level. It seeks to scale laser power by 2024 as a possible drop-in replacement for the SHiELD LANCE laser subsystem, or as part of a new prototype laser system for airborne applications. CHELSEA data also may help guide government technology investment decisions beyond 2024.
Companies interested should send responses by post or courier no later than 26 Feb. 2019 to AFRL Det 8/RVKDL, ATTN: Ms. Kim Armstrong, 3550 Aberdeen Avenue, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5773.
For technical questions or concerns contact Kevin Hewlett by email at [email protected], or by phone at 505-853-2684. For contracting questions or concerns contact Kim Armstrong by email at [email protected].
More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFRLPLDED/FA9451-19-S-0001/listing.html.
