Page 94 - High Power Laser Handbook

64 G a s , C h e m i c a l , a n d F r e e - E l e c t r o n L a s e r s Chemical Lasers 65

Figure 3.18 Alpha laser facility (left) and Alpha laser nozzle (right).

1980s and early 1990s as part of the Strategic Defense Initiative
(SDI) (Fig. 3.18). The primary motivation for these lasers has always
been military applications. In the late 1990s, the Army Tactical High-
Energy Laser (THEL) was introduced (Fig. 3.19), which consisted of the
first complete laser weapon system that has successfully detected,
tracked, and shot down numerous military projectiles, including rock-
ets, artillery shells, and mortars. In spite of these successes, interest in
HF and DF lasers has waned of late due to the logistic problems created
by storing and transporting the reactive fuels (H /D and F /NF ) and
2
2
2
3
disposing of the highly corrosive effluents (HF and DF) they produce.

Figure 3.19 Tactical High-Energy Laser system and beam director.