Brenda Marie Rivers
Lockheed Martin has showcased a laser system designed to defeat rotary and fixed-wing unmanned aerial systems as part of a demonstration for the U.S. Air Force.
Lockheed said Thursday that Air Force personnel operated the Advanced Test High Energy Asset system which coordinated functions with a radar sensor as well as a government command-and-control platform to track, engage and defeat multiple drones.
ATHENA is also intended to be transportable to support the protection of critical assets and military bases.
“We’ve watched in recent news this type of laser weapon solution is essential for deterring unmanned vehicle type threats, so it’s an exciting time for us to watch airmen compete Lockheed Martin's critical technology,†said Sarah Reeves, vice president of missile defense programs at Lockheed.
The exercise took place at a Fort Sill test range in Oklahoma.
