Multispectral six-color laser transmitter for mine hunting applications

Q-Peak Inc. will develop a multi-spectral laser transmitter with six frequency bands across the visible and near infrared (NIR) spectral regions for the next generation of the Navy’s Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA) airborne mine detection system. Currently, COBRA’s mine detection system utilizes a sensor payload that operates onboard the MQ-8B Fire Scout and can detect surf and beach zone mines in the daytime. Q-Peak’s multispectral laser transmitter will serve to extend the capabilities of COBRA by increasing the probability of detection while lowering false alarm rates. The addition of multiple spectral bands will also serve to extend the operational capabilities of the COBRA system into nighttime and littoral zone detection. The proposed multispectral laser transmitter utilizes Q-Peak’s CHAMP amplifier technology, which provides an improvement in the overall net gain capabilities by >3× over traditional optical amplifier geometries within the same operating volume, enabling high-pulse energies and efficient nonlinear optical conversion in an extremely low SWaP package.