A team of scientists working under an Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded effort may have found a “simple, reliable, and cost effective” way to manipulate a laser beam to sustain high data rates under a variety of conditions, reports Maria Callier of AFOSR. Their wave optics simulation could prove useful for space communications, optical tracking, and other Air Force applications. “If successful, our work can lead to free space communication systems that can carry high bandwidth data, that are almost impossible to intercept,” said team leader David Voelz with New Mexico State University.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.