Steerable Laser Rangefinder

To address the Army need for a compact, rugged, actively steerable laser rangefinder system for small arms airburst applications, compensating for gun positioning jitter, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a novel STEerable LAser rangeFinder (STELAF) system based on a micro-modulated liquid crystal beam steerer (ICER). The ICER beam steering component will assist the soldier in accurately aiming the laser rangefinder at the target, steering the laser beam in both azimuth and elevation angle up to -/+ 4 mils with an accuracy 0.05 mil. The entire two-dimensional angle ranges are scanned at 2 Hz. The system is compact (25 mm x 25 mm x 1 cm), low-power (0.5 W), and robust, and will optomechanically fit into the FA/FC system. In Phase I POC will demonstrate the feasibility of STELAF by fabricating and testing the system and preparing a road map for incorporation into a relevant weapon system. In Phase II we plan to optimize the STELAF design and component performance, and will develop a fully functional prototype integrated into an air burst-capable small arm that will lead to a new rugged and reliable steerable laser rangefinder for next-generation pointing control.