Northrop Grumman announced yesterday that it has successfully produced a powerful light ray out of its modular electric laser design that measured more than 105 kilowatts, thereby setting a record and marking a significant milestone in the company’s efforts to scale up the power of solid-state lasers to have increasingly viable weapons applications. “This achievement is particularly important because the 100 kW threshold has been viewed traditionally as a proof of principle for ‘weapons-grade’ power levels for high-energy lasers,” said Dan Wildt, vice president of directed energy systems for Northrop’s Aerospace Systems sector. He noted, however, that “many militarily useful effects” can be achieved by lasers producing 25kW or 50 kW of power if the quality of the laser beam is good. Accordingly, he said the 105 kW milestone has “far exceeded those needs.” The company achieved the milestone as part of its phase 3 activities under the joint high power solid state laser program, which the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Office of the Secretary of Defense are sponsoring.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
