High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System
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The High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS), a weapon system that is under development by The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), will weigh around 1,650 lb (750 kg) and fit in the space of 2 cubic meters (70.6 cubic feet). In an effort to combine the high energy density of a Solid-state laser with the thermal management of a liquid laser, the "HEL weapon" as it has been dubbed by its developers, is a prototype capable of firing a mild one kilowatt (kW) beam. Plans are underway to build a stronger 15-kW version by the end of 2005 and an even more powerful version that will produce a 150-kW beam that is capable of knocking down a missile will be ready by 2007 for fitting onto fighter aircraft.
Liquid lasers can fire continuous beams that require large cooling systems, while solid state laser beams are more intense but must be fired in pulses to stop them from overheating. In the past, both types of lasers were very bulky because of their need for these huge cooling systems. The only aircraft they could be fitted to were the size of jumbo jets. General Atomics will build the weapon and Lockheed-Martin will design the tracking system.
The 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict gave Israel further cause to improve its missile defences. The Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL) was tested on August 24, 2004, and was found to be effective at neutralizing mortar threats under an actual scenario. However, this test was administered with short, 20 km range missiles. With long-range missiles that can hit targets as far away as 70 km, both HELLADS and MTHEL are ineffective.
