The good folks at Northrop Grumman Space Technology have announced a 15kW solid state laser module.

It’s a rack mount, though at 15 kW, your backplane on your rack better have some heavy duty busbars.

Still, the fact that what appears to be a fieldable electrically powered laser is available for military deployment, though it is unclear as to how soon this would actually hit series production, seems to be an important development.

Certainly, it is a step up from the expensive and messy chemical lasers that we are seeing in places like Boeing’s airborne laser, which would appear to need an environmental impact statement each time that it fires.

Northrop Grumman Announces the FIRESTRIKE™ Laser, World’s First Weaponized Solid-State Laser for U.S. Military Services:
‘This is a rugged electric laser with power levels, beam quality and runtime suitable for offensive and defensive military utility. Also available is a newly designed laser current source assembly (LCSA), which is compact, and specifically developed to precisely meet FIRESTRIKE(tm)’s power needs. Combined with advanced electro optical and/or infrared sensors, the FIRESTRIKE(tm) laser can provide self-defense, precision strike and enhanced situational awareness capabilities.’