34.5 Million Dollars! Ennai Wins Contract For 50kW Laser Weapon System To Be Delivered To U.S. Army

On November 27th, local time, US-based power semiconductor and fiber laser supplier nLIGHT announced that it had successfully picked up a contract worth $34.5 million.
The contract, which will be executed in approximately 18 months, requires nLIGHT to supply and deliver a 50kW high-energy laser (HEL) to the U.S. Army Rapid Capability Critical Technology Office (RCCTO) to support the development of a prototype Directed Energy Mobility - Short-Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) system, it said.
Ennai is a subcontractor to defense firm KORD Technologies and the prime contractor supporting this initiative.
DE M-SHORAD is an integral part of the U.S. Army's broader air and missile defense modernization strategy, which focuses on integrating a 50kW-class laser weapon system into the Stryker to defend against operational threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems, rockets, mortars, rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft. and fixed-wing aircraft. Directed energy laser weapons provide a more sustainable launch output, lower cost per launch, and smaller footprint than traditional heavy kinetic energy weapons.
The lasers on the DE M-SHORAD work by focusing an intense laser beam on a target. Integrated into the Stryker armored vehicle, an onboard generator powers the laser and the vehicle is equipped with airborne threat detection, tracking and targeting equipment. On this basis, the new Stryker armored vehicle is used to provide what is expected to be a more efficient and defender-friendly cost ratio. "Directed Energy" (DE) refers to the laser, "Mobility" (M) refers to the laser being mounted on a moving vehicle, and "Short Range Air Defense" (SHORAD) is the vehicle's officially designated mission.
High-energy lasers are moving out of the lab and into real-world applications," said Scott Keeney, president and CEO of Ennai. "For more than a decade, Ennex has focused on developing and manufacturing innovative, reliable, field serviceable and affordable high-power fiber lasers for commercial and defense customers. We are proud of our partnership with KORD Technologies and RCCTO, and we look forward to utilizing our dual-use business model to accelerate the development and delivery of innovative, affordable lasers."
Jeff Barchers, President of Ennai Defense Systems, commented, "Our integrated HEL and beam control solutions use adaptive optics to focus more power on the target and maximize laser lethality. Our vertically integrated approach to laser design and manufacturing allows us to control all aspects of the system design. As a result, we can produce robust lasers with interchangeable components that can be serviced by soldiers in the field, which we believe is critical for the long-term adoption of directed energy laser weapons."
It was only earlier this month (Nov. 2) that Ennai announced that it had been awarded a prototype high-energy laser (HEL) contract with a total value increasing to $171 million. The contract was awarded as part of Phase II of the Department of Defense, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering OUSD (R&E) High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative (HELSI) for the development of a 1 megawatt directed energy laser.
The financial results show that nLIGHT realized total revenue of $50.63 million in the third quarter of this year ($48 million in product revenue and $12.1 million in development revenue). Highlighting the results was nLIGHT's strong progress in key strategic growth areas such as defense and industrial.
About nLIGHT
Founded in June 2000, nLIGHT is a leading supplier of high-power semiconductor and fiber lasers for industrial, micromachining, aerospace and defense applications, with a focus on the design, development and manufacture of key components for lasers. nLIGHT is headquartered in Camas, Washington, and employs more than 1,300 people in the U.S., China, Finland, Korea and Italy.