CLDEW Coherent Light Directed-Energy Weapon
Coherent Light Directed-Energy Weapon CLDEW
The heart of this system is a diode near infrared laser device, configured to operate on electrical power. It has an energy density on target of 2.5KJ/m2. It usese a 5 meter diameter deformable mirror adaptive optics system.
Capabilities
At low power, the laser beams can be used as battlefield illumination devices. But, unlike the ILDEW's illumination. the invisible near infrared laser beam's battlefield illumination is visible only to friendly troops using special tuned vision devices similar to night-vision goggles.
At low to medium power, the laser beams can be used to designate targets from space, blind sensors in the laser's optical band, ignite exposed flammable objects, raise the temperature in localized regions, perform as an emergency high-bandwidth laser communication system, and serve as a laser probe for active remote-sensing systems.
At slightly higher powers, the enhanced heating produced by the laser can be used to upset sensitive electronics (temporarily or permanently), damage sensor and antenna arrays, ignite some containerized flammable and explosive materials, and sever exposed power and communications lines.
The full power beam can melt or vaporize virtually any target, given enough exposure time. Given the precise targeting information and beam pointing and tracking stability of 100 nanoradians, a full-power beam can successfully attack ground or airborne targets by melting or cracking cockpit canopies, burning through control cables, exploding fuel tanks, melting or burning sensor assemblies and antenna arrays, exploding or melting munitions pods, destroying ground communications and power grids, and melting or burning a large variety of strategic targets (e.g., dams, industrial and defense facilities, and munitions factories)-all in a fraction of a second.
