Northrop Grumman has opened the “first of its kind by private industry in the US” high-energy laser facility dedicated solely to military systems, states a company release. The Directed Energy Production Facility at Redondo Beach, Calif., will produce “powerful military lasers” that have “the potential to transform the way we equip our armed forces,” said Alexis Livanos, president of Northrop’s space technology sector.
The Pentagon is counting on Congress to navigate a legislative tightrope and pass a party-line bill to fund nearly a quarter of its $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027, including billions of dollars for top priorities like Golden Dome, the F-35, munitions, and unmanned systems. Experts and lawmakers from…