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the people serving in DoD should be an ongoing focus for the future. 7) Air Combat Command, Air Warfare Center, AF Space Command and Air Armament Center, should begin developing laser weapon Concepts of Operations (CONOPS). 8) Adjust the technology development-acquisition process to accommodate the expected rapid technological change rate. Tactical Air-To-Air Laser Systems on Fighter Aircraft By 2025 Jeff “Lenny” Gustafson, Lt Col, USAF Accelerating Solid State Fiber Laser (SSFL) research will fuel progress toward a mature 100+ kilowatt tactical air-to-air laser employable from fighter size platforms by 2025. This paper investigates how technological improvements today and those forecast for future development offer the opportunity to incorporate laser technology into legacy and future fighter platforms. The value of a tactical air-to-air laser system capable of employment from podded legacy and future Low Observable (LO) platforms is so compelling that extraordinary efforts justify a Joint requirement for research, funding, development and acquisition of such a system. The failure to pursue this tactical “speed of light” defensive and offensive air-to-air capability could be devastating to future U.S. air and space superiority. Although the U.S. dominates these mediums today, future battles with globally advancing technologies such as DE laser systems and improved kinetic devices could inflict dramatic losses upon the U.S. and its allies. For this reason, current USAF leadership is advocating the F-22A and F-35 stealth fighters along with rapidly advancing UAV and DE research programs. With such vehicles, the U.S. will continue its superiority of air and space well into the future. Laser systems for legacy and future fighter aircraft are the next evolutionary step in air-to-air combat. Detailed simulation of tactical employment has demonstrated the
importance of lasers in sustaining an air and space superiority force in the future. It is critical that DoD maintain the technological lead in DE through prioritization of laser research and development, and equally essential that a joint SSFL system be developed and fielded for the projected legacy fighter force. In addition to the capability increase it will provide, this externally podded system will enable the development of the Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) necessary to inform employment of future internally mounted SSFL systems. These new speed of light weapon systems will compliment current and future kinetic systems to continue the USAF’s current air and space dominance, and in turn secure our homeland and those of our allies against threats to the free world of tomorrow. Recommendations: 1) The USAF, USN, and USMC coordinate with USSOCOM a Joint requirement for an externally podded SSFL system for legacy air-to-air and air-toground fighter aircraft. This requirement must ensure integrated Joint simulation testing, training standards, and tactical employment standards. This will cement seamless future integration with the F-35 Laser Strike Fighter, UCAV type vehicles and follow-on strike platforms. 2) The USAF, USN, and USMC coordinate with USSOCOM to immediately develop a Joint requirement for the Laser Strike Fighter (F-35 variant). Current Lockheed Martin projections require an initial decision for funding by 2009-2010 in order to get engineering pre-design activities started by 2016 to produce an operational Laser Strike Fighter by 2020-2025. 3) Update and refine the USAF Directed Energy Roadmap annually with focus on current breakthroughs and testing successes/failures. Emphasis today must address our ability to counter current and emerging capabilities that are being exported globally and pose a significant strategic threat to the United States of
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword ……
Page 4:
Splitting the Atom on the Way to th
Page 9 and 10: Findings Warfare is changing in fun
Page 11 and 12: programs to meet the changing envir
Page 13 and 14: particles, photons moving at the sp
Page 15 and 16: General Recommendations 1. The USAF
Page 17 and 18: to coping with emerging technologie
Page 19 and 20: Conclusion The Horizon 21 study was
Page 21 and 22: The initial study was comprised of
Page 23 and 24: After completion of the research pa
Page 25 and 26: Supercomputers will be able to “t
Page 27 and 28: The ideas of 1920 that generated th
Page 29 and 30: that this concept be continually te
Page 31 and 32: for to be either immersive OR inter
Page 33 and 34: vulnerabilities to the cyber domain
Page 35 and 36: networks. 4) The Air Force should a
Page 37 and 38: the past, such as the industrial re
Page 39 and 40: environment like “Virtual Flag”
Page 41 and 42: toward ever-smaller sensor and sens
Page 43 and 44: and electronics and computing. This
Page 45 and 46: gains to offset reduction in size.
Page 47 and 48: 2 The petroleum fuel alternative mu
Page 49 and 50: hostile to the U.S., thus computati
Page 51 and 52: differentiation of stem cells into
Page 53 and 54: Recommendations: 1) The direct ener
Page 55: and overwhelms the decision-making
Page 59 and 60: ensure it remains ahead of potentia
Page 61 and 62: launch less-capable satellites rout
Page 63 and 64: term partnering incentive industry
Page 65 and 66: shortcomings imposed by the atmosph
Page 67 and 68: 2) Once the Air Force fields SAS, i
Page 69 and 70: equires maturation of a several tec
Page 71 and 72: as the DoD Executive Agent for Spac
Page 73 and 74: provide dynamic and vertically-inte
Page 75 and 76: Joel “Spicoli” Luker, Major, US
Page 77 and 78: four areas: biotechnology, nanotech
Page 79 and 80: weapons for time-sensitive targets.
Page 81 and 82: increase situational awareness for
Page 83 and 84: merged RFID, GPS (Global Positionin
Page 85 and 86: gap and enable ubiquitous, fast-res
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