The FIRESTRIKE laser, introduced by Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...

 on November 13, 2008, is purportedly the first, combat ready, solid state

Solid-state laser

A solid-state laser is a laser that uses a gain medium that is a solid, rather than a liquid such as in dye lasers or a gas as in gas lasers. Semiconductor-based lasers are also in the solid state, but are generally considered as a separate class from solid-state lasers .-Solid-state...

 laser weapon. FIRESTRIKE is a 15kW modular laser "building block" which can be combined with other systems for specific missions, or 7 more FIRESTRIKEs for a single 100kW laser. Bundled with Northrop Grumman's own LCSA power supply, the FIRESTRIKE can fire continuously as long as power and cooling are maintained.

Features

Type	Description
Power	15kW Laser
Beam Quality	Nominally 1.5 times the diffraction limit
Size	Laser head - 12" x 23"x 40" (width, depth, height) Current source - 9" x 13" x 30"
Runtime	Continuous, as long as power and coolant are provided
Power-on Time	Zero to full power in less than 1/2 second
Safety	Remote operation, customer interlock access, internal safety sensors
Control	Common Command and Control (C2) systems and Ethernet interfaces
Low Power Setting	Provides nominally 100 watt alignment beam
Weight	400 lbs per LRU
Ruggedization	Hardened LRUs with compact SSL technology engineered for mobility and field operations