nLight announces $34.5M contract for DE M-SHORAD laser weapon system

nLIGHT announced a $34.5M contract award that will be executed over approximately 18 months to provide a High Energy Laser or HEL in support of the U.S. Army’s Rapid Capabilities Critical Technologies Office, RCCTO, Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense or DE M-SHORAD prototyping effort. nLIGHT is serving as a subcontractor to KORD Technologies as prime contractor in support of this effort. DE M-SHORAD is a component of the U.S. Army’s broader modernization strategy for air and missile defense and focuses on integrating a 50kW-class laser weapon system onto a Stryker combat vehicle to provide defensive capabilities against unmanned aircraft systems; rockets, artillery, and mortar; and rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. Compared to conventional heavy kinetic weapons, directed energy laser weapons can offer deeper magazines with lower cost-per-shot in a smaller footprint.