Lockheed Martin recently secured a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to progress the Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS) program.

Working on the JLWS program, Lockheed Martin is helping to develop an unmanned aerial system defense architecture with a next-generation cruise missile, focusing on a tactical containerized 500 kW laser weapon system.

This aims to benefit combatant commanders by providing scalable intercept solutions that are also cost effective to better respond to UAS attacks and advanced cruise-missile threats.

As Lockheed Martin has 15+ years of expertise with tactical laser weapons, the company is able to develop systems with advantages like:

• Rapid engagement
• Unlimited magazines
• Lower cost per intercept

“We are honored to field this operational‑tactical prototype — the highest‑power laser ever packaged in a transportable container,” said Paul Lemmo, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Sensors, Effectors, and Mission Systems.

Lemmo added, “By applying our expertise in lowering size, weight, and power along with rugged‑system design, we can rapidly build containerized laser weapons in the near term.”

"We must actively defend the homeland against emerging threats," said Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering.

Michael added, "We are partnering with industry to rapidly deliver deep magazine directed energy capabilities to the Joint Force that can be seamlessly deployed across multiple domains."