Regina Garcia
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded Northrop Grumman a $7.8 million contract to work on a scalable laser weapon system under the Modular Efficient Laser Technology program.
The aerospace and defense company bested eight other bidders for the award, the Department of Defense said Friday.
The MELT program aims to build a modular laser tile to serve as a foundation for compact, extensible and panelized high-energy laser sources by utilizing technologies such as semiconductor fabrication techniques, beam combining, photonic integration, as well as 3D integration and packaging.
DARPA targets integrating MELT tiles into planar arrays equipped with upgraded high-energy laser technology.
Majority of the work will be conducted in Redondo Beach, California, while the remaining work will be performed in Goleta, through October 2024.
Northrop Grumman will utilize $1.4 million in funding for research, development and assessment purposes.
