Joint High Power Solid State Laser Keeps Lasing And Lasing: "Since becoming the first to reach the 100-kilowatt power level threshold for a solid-state laser in 2009, Northrop Grumman has continued to push the performance parameters of the Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL).
Company engineers and technicians have logged more than six hours of operating time - all at power levels greater than 100kW - with the JHPSSL system as they prepare to integrate it with a pointing and tracking system for field testing.
'We don't know of another 100kW solid-state laser anywhere that has operated continuously for more than a few seconds,' said Steve Hixson, vice president of Advanced Concepts - Space and Directed Energy Systems for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. The six hours of run time for JHPSSL doesn't include low-power operations used for routine maintenance, he added."
