Precision accuracy at the speed light with an infinite magazine, laser directed energy weapons (LDEW) offer effective defense against a wide range of targets such as UAVs, drones (swarms) and missiles, as well as land and sea threats. These weapons must be able to identify, track, and deter potential threats by using focused light in combination with precision targeting systems.

LDEW harness very high optical powers and focus them onto very small areas with high accuracy. The ability to handle such powers requires expert beam management in order to maintain beam quality, alignment, stability and accuracy, and our heritage in the manufacturing of optics put us in the perfect position to deliver the high quality optics required to support high reliability operation in harsh environments.

Our heritage

We are an active leader in optical markets and all of our components have been through many development cycles to keep them at the leading edge of technology. From our history in optical devices, where wavelength stability is of prime importance, to our history in optical systems, where heat management is paramount, we have expertise in all the necessary components for LDEW.

Our strategic roadmap identifies the area of scalable and flexible LDEW as the future, and we are enabling those capabilities with our vertical integration capabilities, reducing the lead-time and cost of the development and final product.

Optical coatings in LDEW require high laser-induced damage thresholds (LIDT) which we produce in our specialized cleanrooms to minimize contamination during the coating process. Precise metrology methods qualify high LIDT optics by monitoring the surface quality.

Another aspect of LDEW that is critical is the alignment and mounting of mirrors, as any slight misalignment can cause total dysfunction. Expert optomechanical design and FEA are at the heart of our development methods and ensure the reliable operation of LDEW.

We have a comprehensive understanding of LDEW, including beam generation, multiple beam management, alignment, targeting, delivery and imaging. Using G&H knowhow to package all of these elements together, we’re a proven partner for next generation countermeasure systems.

Products

• High-power beam expanders
• Opto-mechanical assemblies
• Fused couplers and power combiners
• High-power amplifiers
• Specialised optics including large aperture and aspheric

Services

• Optomechanical design and assembly
• High LIDT optical coatings
• Surface quality metrology
• Optical packaging
• Optomechanical design and FEA