Boeing Laser Avenger

Boeing’s Laser Avenger is basically an infrared laser system – with power levels somewhere in the tens of kilowatts range – mounted on an AN/TWQ-1 Avenger combat vehicle. It integrates a directed energy weapon together with the kinetic weapons of the Avenger air defense system. “We doubled the laser power; added sophisticated acquisition, tracking and pointing capability; and simplified and ruggedized the design. “Boeing developed and integrated these upgrades in less than a year, underscoring our ability to rapidly respond to warfighters’ needs,” said Lee Gutheinz, Boeing program director for High-Energy Laser/Electro-Optical Systems. Continue reading for a video of it destroying IEDs.

“Small UAVs armed with explosives or equipped with surveillance sensors are a growing threat on the battlefield. Laser Avenger, unlike a conventional weapon, can fire its laser beam without creating missile exhaust or gun flashes that would reveal its position. As a result, Laser Avenger can neutralize these UAV threats while keeping our troops safe,” said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Directed Energy Systems.

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