ZEUS-HLONS (HMMWV Laser Ordnance Neutralization System)

The HLONS, commonly known as ZEUS, is a solid-state

Solid-state laser

A solid-state laser is a laser that uses a gain medium that is a solid, rather than a liquid such as in dye lasers or a gas as in gas lasers. Semiconductor-based lasers are also in the solid state, but are generally considered as a separate class from solid-state lasers .-Solid-state...

laser weapon which is used by the U.S. military in order to neutralize surface land mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). The ZEUS-HLONS system was a co-operative effort between SPARTA, Inc. and NAVEODTECHDIV (Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division) to demonstrate that a moderate-power commercial solid state laser (SSL) and beam control system could be integrated onto a Humvee (HMMWV) and used to clear surface mines, improvised explosive device

Improvised explosive device

An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...

s (IEDs), or unexploded ordnance (UXO) from supply routes and minefields.

Features

ZEUS uses a 10 kW solid-state heat capacity (SSHC) laser beam to heat target ordnance to the point of causing the explosive filler to ignite and start to burn. Therefore it does not depend on the type of fusing the specific ordnance uses. The resulting neutralization causes a low-level explosion that minimizes collateral damage.

It has demonstrated the capability to engage targets from 25 to 300 meters away, as long as they are in line of sight. The Zeus system can be fired up to 2,000 times a day.

The ZEUS-HLONS system offers a roll-on roll-off capability that is C-17

C-17 Globemaster III

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...

and C-130 transportable. It is also helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

sling certified.

Development

The two main people behind the project are Gerald Wilson (Directed Energy division of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC)) and Owen Hofer (U.S. engineering firm SPARTA), which designed and built the system.

Prior to the ZEUS-HLONS system, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel would have to approach such munitions (either manually, or by robotic platform), place an explosive charge near it, and then detonate the charge to destroy the munitions - something they still have to do until laser neutralizing systems are commonplace. Using ZEUS is cheaper (a few cents per laser shot) and safer than the traditional method.

Lasers were theoretically evaluated for use in causing detonations of explosives in 1986 and laboratory demonstrations were done in 1987 with a 30 kW CO₂ laser

Carbon dioxide laser

The carbon dioxide laser was one of the earliest gas lasers to be developed , and is still one of the most useful. Carbon dioxide lasers are the highest-power continuous wave lasers that are currently available...

.

By 1991 demonstrations were done on landmines using a 0.3 kW Nd:YAG laser and 0.8 kW CO₂ laser.

The concept of laser neutralization of ordnance was demonstrated in 1994 with the design, development and live field testing of the Mobile Ordnance Disrupter System (MODS). MODS used an M113

M113 armored personnel carrier

The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier that has formed the backbone of the United States Army's mechanized infantry units from the time of its first fielding in Vietnam in April 1962. The M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S...

A2 armored personnel carrier that supported a 1100 watt arc lamp-pumped laser system. The program was funded by the U.S. Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base

Eglin Air Force Base

Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....

(Florida). This was then moved to fitting the system into a Humvee.

ZEUS is therefore the 2nd generation of this concept. Its development started in 1996 and was still undergoing upgrades and military demonstrations at the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF) at White Sands Missile Range

White Sands Missile Range

White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...

, New Mexico, in 2002 when it was requested to be deployed to Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

(in December 2002 by General John M. Keane, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army 1999-2003).

In early 2004 the system was upgraded to a 1-kilowatt laser and then by late 2004 to a 2-kilowatt Yb:glass fibre-laser that is diode-pumped and operates in quasi-CW mode. This significantly reduced the overall system weight (removing about 2,000 pounds) and provided increased output beam power, which equates to extended range.

In January 2005, at the IQPC's Directed Energy Weapons conference in London, Gerald Wilson said the system takes between 5 seconds and 4 minutes (typically 30 seconds) to destroy a mine, resulting in a clearance rate of up to 25 explosives per hour when equipped with a 0.5 kW laser.

Deployment

Over its test and deployment history, ZEUS has eliminated more than 1,600 ordnance items of 40 different types with more than a 98% success rate.

In March 2003, ZEUS was deployed to Afghanistan for 6 months to demonstrate its counter-mine capabilities in a combat environment (Operation Enduring Freedom). It was used at Bagram Air Base

Bagram Air Base

Bagram Airfield, also referred to as Bagram Air Base, is a militarized airport and housing complex that is located next to the ancient city of Bagram, southeast of Charikar in Parwan province of Afghanistan. The base is run by a US Army division headed by a major general. A large part of the base,...

and neutralized more than 200 munitions (including 51 in one 100 minute period) of 10 different types. At the time, the ZEUS-HLONS system was a 1/2 kilowatt laser.

On March 16, 2005, ZEUS was deployed to Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

to assist in explosive ordnance disposal activities there as part of a three-vehicle convoy protection concept.

It is currently being used in Iraq by the U.S. military, in the first battlefield use of any laser weapon.

External links

SPARTA, Inc.
NAVEODTECHDIV (Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division)
High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF)
IQPC's Directed Energy Weapons conference 2005
Popular Mechanics: Beyond Bullets, April 15, 2003
DefenseTech: Laser Hummer In Iraq
Wired: The Baghdad Bomb Squad, November 2005 (brief mention of Zeus, focuses on IED/UXO issues in Iraq)

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Features

Development

Deployment

See also

External links