Hybrid Power for High Energy Pulsed Laser Applications

High power directed energy and laser weapons are rapidly making the transition from laboratory to field testing. With previous generations of these weapons, both in the laboratory and in field tests, size and weight were of little concern. Newer generations that are coming to the forefront are changing this; aiming to be mounted on fighter aircraft and small ground vehicles instead of being built into 747’s and large ships. Even with this reduction in size and weight, the weapons still need to provide similar, if not increased power. Lynntech is proposing a hybrid power system to provide the energy and power necessary for the directed energy pulsed applications of interest to the Navy. With a hybrid approach, the power is available to fire the weapon, and there is enough energy to continue pulse firing until the threat has been eliminated, all while meeting required mass/volume for integration into an air platform.