U.S. Navy, Northrop Grumman Accomplish Goals for At-Sea Demonstration of Maritime Laser

The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman Corporation have successfully demonstrated high-energy, solid-state laser defenses at sea by completing a "counter-material" test of the Maritime Laser Demonstrator (MLD) against small boats.

Northrop Grumman designed and built the MLD for the Office of Naval Research, leveraging a laser built by Northrop Grumman for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command /Army Forces Strategic Command and the High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office.

Open ocean tests were conducted between October 2010 and April 2011 at the Pacific Ocean Test Range near San Nicolas Island off the Central California coast. For these tests, the laser system was installed on the Navy's Self Defense Test Ship, the USS Paul Foster.

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