Interesting Engineering: Multi-kilojoule lasers built for nuclear fusion could power next-gen air defense

Multi-kilojoule lasers built for nuclear fusion could power next-gen air defense

The new partnership aims to adapt powerful pulsed lasers designed for fusion energy into potential military defense systems.

By Neetika Walter

RTX Ventures has invested in laser fusion company Xcimer Energy to develop pulsed-laser technology for potential use in US military directed-energy systems.

The collaboration brings together two applications that share a fundamental engineering challenge: building powerful lasers that can fire repeatedly, reliably and affordably.

Xcimer is developing excimer laser technology for its fusion power system. The company says the same approach could provide the performance and scalability needed for directed-energy weapons, potentially offering longer-range capability than existing systems.

Read the full Interesting Engineering article here.