DARPA asks Northrop Grumman to develop high-power laser weapons technology for counter-uncrewed vehicles.

The article focuses on recent advancements in military laser and communication technologies, highlighting DARPA’s Modular Efficient Laser Technology (MELT) program led by Northrop Grumman. MELT aims to develop compact, scalable, semiconductor-based high-energy laser tiles for countering uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), addressing challenges in beam quality, thermal management, and manufacturability to enable deployable laser weapons with low size, weight, and power (SWaP). Additionally, L3Harris Technologies secured $214 million in contracts to provide interoperable communication systems for the German armed forces under the Digitalization – Land Based Operations (D-LBO) program, enhancing coalition communication capabilities. Gilat Defense also received an $11 million contract to supply transportable satellite communication hubs to an unnamed UAV company.