ILA 2016

MBDA anti iha amaçlı 360 derece hareket ve hedef takip kapasiteli kara ve deniz platformları için geliştirilen savunma lazerini tanıtmış.

ILA 2016: MBDA Deutschland showcases new laser-based system to counter unmanned aircraft


A mock-up of the MBDA Deutschland laser effector for the C-UAV mission seen at the ILA Airshow 2016. A working demonstrator is due to begin trials later this year. Source: IHS/Gareth Jennings


MBDA Deutschland showcased a new laser-based system for countering unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at the ILA Airshow in Berlin on 1 June.

The 'laser effector' is a 360-degree defensive solution that can be integrated on both land and sea platforms using standard interfaces. Although billed primarily as a counter-UAV (C-UAV) solution, it can also be used against rockets and mortar shells.

Speaking to IHS Jane's at the event, Dr Markus Martinstetter, Future Systems at MBDA Deutschland, said that the system has been in development since about 2007, when new laser technologies began to produce the power levels needed for a weaponised system.

"The idea of using lasers for military applications is quite old [but] was mainly focused around using chemical lasers, which are huge and not very efficient. In about 2007 we realised that the new fibre-lasers coming through gave us interesting levels of power in the 2 kW to 5 kW range that we could use," Martinstetter said.

As noted by Martinstetter, as important as power is to developing a laser system, it is the ability to produce a highly defined beam that will ultimately decide if the laser will make an effective weapon or not. The new effector uses mirror optics to harness the higher power levels and to focus the laser into a beam that is capable of either dazzling the optronics of the target UAV or destroying the target outright.

The system features a 360-degree beam guidance system, enabling it to locate, identify, track, and destroy targets coming from different directions with minimal engagement times. Martinstetter gave the effective range of the system at between 3 and 5 km.

While a mock-up was displayed at ILA, Martinstetter said that a working 40 kW demonstrator is being tested at the company's Schrobenhausen facility in southern Germany. Trials are due to commence later this year, although their nature has yet to be defined

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