TRW-Built Alpha Laser Completes High-Energy Lasing Test.REDONDO BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 7, 1996--In a demonstration of the reliability and robustness of its high-energy laser systems, TRW TRW The Real World (TV reality show) TRW The Right Way TRW Tactical Reconnaissance Wing TRW The Retriever Weekly (University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD) TRW Thompson Ramo Wooldridge Inc (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : TRW) has successfully completed a full-power test of its megawatt-class Alpha chemical laser. The test strengthens the nation's technological foundation for a future Space-Based Laser (SBL SBL Society of Biblical Literature SBL Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE symbol) SBL Spamhaus Block List SBL Space-Based Laser SBL Securities Borrowing and Lending SBL Supreme Beings of Leisure (band) ) missile defense system Noun 1. missile defense system - naval weaponry providing a defense system missile defence system naval weaponry - weaponry for warships . The 5-second, full duration test -- the 12th test since Alpha was first fired in 1989 -- was performed on Sept. 18 at TRW's Capistrano Test Site near San Clemente, Calif. It marks the first time that the Alpha laser has been fired since Department of Defense (DoD) funding cuts put the laser in a "preservation" or storage mode more than two years ago. In addition to extending TRW's record of high energy laser successes, the Alpha test lays groundwork for the next phase of the Alpha LAMP Integration (ALI) program, an SBL technology development effort run by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization Noun 1. Ballistic Missile Defense Organization - an agency in the Department of Defense that is responsible for making ballistic missile defense a reality BMDO (BMDO Noun 1. BMDO - an agency in the Department of Defense that is responsible for making ballistic missile defense a reality Ballistic Missile Defense Organization ). That next phase, currently scheduled for spring 1997, will integrate and test the high-power technologies, including Alpha, which comprise the prototype SBL system. "We are extremely pleased with the results of the recent Alpha laser test," said Joanne Maguire, vice president and general manager of TRW's Space & Technology Division, a leading developer of laser-based defense systems. "The fact that we could fire it successfully on the first try after a 25-month testing hiatus speaks strongly to the quality of the original laser design. We believe that data from this test will prove invaluable to BMDO and Lockheed Martin, the ALI prime contractor, as they define and optimize the test plan for the ALI program." Alpha is a high-energy, space-compatible, hydrogen fluoride laser The hydrogen fluoride laser is an infrared chemical laser. It is capable of delivering continuous output power in the megawatt range. Hydrogen fluoride lasers operate at the wavelength of 2.7-2.9 µm. that TRW developed for the DoD beginning in the early 1980s. In the 11 previous Alpha tests at Capistrano, TRW has demonstrated the feasibility of using space-based chemical lasers to defend against ballistic missile attacks. The most recent test was completed under TRW's current $30 million Alpha Laser Optimization (ALO) contract with BMDO. The ALI program will bring together three major SBL high-power subsystems to assess their performance as an integrated unit: the TRW-developed Alpha chemical laser; a four-meter diameter Large Advanced Mirror Program (LAMP) beam projection telescope developed by Litton Itek (recently acquired by Hughes Danbury Optical Systems); and the Large Optics Demonstration Experiment (LODE lode, deposit of ore. ) beam control system developed by Lockheed Martin. Together, these elements will demonstrate the generation, stabilization and projection of a high-power laser beam in a simulated space environment at TRW's Capistrano test facility. According to Pat Pomphrey, TRW's ALO program manager, the Alpha laser has undergone routine preservation procedures for the past two years as part of the BMDO-sponsored ALO program. These procedures, which included cycling of the laser's valves, pumps, and electronic systems, have kept the laser at an operating level that enabled a straightforward "reactivation reactivation to become active after a period of quiescence or, as in bacterial and viral infections, latency. cross reactivation ." The reactivation process began early in spring 1996 when increased laser testing funds became available. "Thanks to BMDO's preservation program and TRW's thorough understanding of laser test processes, we were successful in testing Alpha precisely on schedule," said Pomphrey. TRW Space & Electronics Group (S&EG), an operating unit operating unit A type of operating company that engages in transactions with outsiders and that is owned by another business. For example, in 1995 the stockholders of Capital Cities/ABC approved a $19 billion merger with the Walt Disney Company, whereupon of Cleveland, Ohio-based TRW Inc., has been engaged in the research and development of lasers since 1961. Today, the group designs and develops a variety of high-energy chemical lasers for space, ground, and airborne applications, including hydrogen fluoride (HF), deuterium deuterium (d  tēr`ēəm), isotope of hydrogen with mass no. 2. The deuterium nucleus, called a deuteron, contains one proton and one neutron. fluoride (DF), and chemical oxygen iodine (COIL) lasers. The group also produces solid-state lasers for military and industrial applications. TRW Inc., provides advanced technology products and services for the automotive and space and defense markets worldwide. Its 1995 sales totaled approximately $10 billion. CONTACT: TRW A. Brooks McKinney, 310/814-8177 |
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