APEX Support

Under the APEX program, Schafer Corporation has been supporting both the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and the Naval Research Laboratory NRL in investigating the potential of using nonlinear optical techniques as well as other advanced technologies to improve the performance andor the system integration and operation of CW high energy lasers, specifically the HFDF chemical laser. The goal of the APEX program is to provide a CW demonstration of beam clean up using Stimulated Brillouin Scattering SBS phase conjugation and to assess its application to the Space Based Laser SBL program. Under the present activity, Schafer Corporation reviewed the status and progress of the activities under the APEX program and performed assessments as to the adequacy and the appropriateness of the APEX program to provide a realistic system impact for the HFDF chemical laser systems of interest to NRL and BMDO. Specifically, we assessed the status of the SBS cell, the NACLNAVYARPA Chemical Laser laser, and the connecting optical train to perform a meaningful demonstration and to assess its impact on system performance.