Laser Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) Efforts

Mortars and rockets are common weapons confronting U.S. troops abroad. Insurgents fire the inexpensive projectiles into populated areas, intending to kill or injure service members and to inflict physical damage. While kinetic solutions like guns and missile interceptors are used to counter rockets and mortars, laser counter rocket, artillery, and mortar C-RAM systems present a promising solution to counter these challenging threats in the near future. Scientists and engineers at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division NSWCDD, have been researching, developing, testing, and evaluating laser C-RAM systems through collaboration, modeling and simulation, and experimentation. The Joint Technology Office JTO and the Directed Energy and Electric Weapons Program Office PMS 405 sponsored the first year of these initiatives in 2007. Consecutive and current work has been sponsored by the Office of Naval Research ONR Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare and Combating Terrorism ST Department.