美国海军高能激光武器报告

CRSReportforCongressPreparedforMembersandCommitteesofCongressNavyShipboardLasersforSurface,Air,andMissileDefense:BackgroundandIssuesforCongressRonaldO'RourkeSpecialistinNavalAffairsOctober19,2012CongressionalResearchService7-5700(DOD)developmentworkonhigh-energymilitarylasers,whichhasbeenunderwayfordecades,hasreachedthepointwherelaserscapableofcounteringcertainsurfaceandairtargetsatrangesofaboutamilecouldbemadereadyforinstallationonNavysurfaceshipsoverthenextfewyears.Morepowerfulshipboardlasers,whichcouldbecomereadyforinstallationinsubsequentyears,couldprovideNavysurfaceshipswithanabilitytocounterawiderrangeofsurfaceandairtargetsatrangesofuptoabout10miles.Thesemorepowerfullasersmight,amongotherthings,provideNavysurfaceshipswithaterminal-defensecapabilityagainstcertainballisticmissiles,includingChina’snewanti-shipballisticmissile(ASBM).TheNavyandDODhaveconducteddevelopmentworkonthreeprincipaltypesoflasersforpotentialuseonNavysurfaceships—fibersolidstatelasers(SSLs),slabSSLs,andfreeelectronlasers(FELs).OnefiberSSLprototypedemonstratordevelopedbytheNavywastheLaserWeaponSystem(LaWS);anotherNavyfiberSSLeffortiscalledtheTacticalLaserSystem(TLS).AmongDOD’smultipleeffortstodevelopslabSSLsformilitaryusewastheMaritimeLaserDemonstration(MLD),aprototypelaserweapondevelopedasarapiddemonstrationproject.TheNavyhasdevelopedalower-powerFELprototypeandisnowdevelopingaprototypewithscaled-uppower.Theselasersdifferintermsoftheirrelativemeritsaspotentialshipboardweapons.AlthoughtheNavyisdevelopinglasertechnologiesandprototypesofpotentialshipboardlasers,andhasageneralizedvisionforshipboardlasers,theNavycurrentlydoesnothaveaprogramofrecordforprocuringaproductionversionofashipboardlaser,oraroadmapthatcallsforinstallinglasersonspecificsurfaceshipsbyspecificdates.ThepossibilityofequippingNavysurfaceshipswithlasersincomingyearsraisesanumberofpotentialissuesforCongress,includingthefollowing:•whethertheNavyshouldactnowtoadoptaprogramofrecordforprocuringaproductionversionofashipboardlaser,and/oraroadmapthatcallsforinstallinglasersonspecificsurfaceshipsbyspecificdates;•howmanytypesoflaserstocontinuedeveloping,particularlygivenconstraintsonNavyfunding,andtherelativemeritsoftypescurrentlybeingdeveloped;and•thepotentialimplicationsofshipboardlasersforthedesignandacquisitionofNavyships,includingtheFlightIIIDDG-51destroyerthattheNavywantstobeginprocuringinFY2016.CongressinpastyearshasprovidedsomeadditionalfundingtohelpsupportNavydevelopmentofpotentialshipboardlasers.ForFY2013andsubsequentyears,Congresshasseveraloptionsregardingpotentialshipboardlasers.Inadditiontodecisionsonwhetherornottofundcontinueddevelopmentofpotentialshipboardlasers,theseoptionsinclude,amongotherthings,thefollowing:encouragingordirectingtheNavyorsomeotherDODorganizationtoperformananalysisofalternatives(AOA)comparingthecost-effectivenessoflasersandtraditionalkineticweapons(suchasmissilesandguns)forcounteringsurface,air,andmissiletargets,andencouragingordirectingtheNavytoadoptaprogramofrecordforprocuringaproductionversionofashipboardlaser,and/oraroadmapthatcallsforinstallinglasersonspecificsurfaceshipsbyspecificdates.NavyShipboardLasersforSurface,Air,andMissileDefenseCongressionalResearchServiceContentsIntroduction......................................................................................................................................1IssueforCongress.....................................................................................................................1Scope,Sources,andTerminology.............................................................................................2Background......................................................................................................................................2ShipboardLasersinGeneral......................................................................................................2PotentialAdvantagesandLimitationsofShipboardLasers................................................2PotentialTargetsforShipboardLasers................................................................................6RequiredLaserPowerLevelsforCounteringTargets........................................................7TypesofLasersBeingDevelopedforPotentialShipboardUse................................................8FiberSolidStateLasers(FiberSSLs).................................................................................8SlabSolidStateLasers(SlabSSLs)..................................................................................10FreeElectronLasers(FELs).............................................................................................11NavySurfaceFleet’sGeneralizedVisionforShipboardLasers..............................................12RemainingTechnicalChallenges............................................................................................13ONRSolid-StateLaserTechn