C.3 High Energy Laser and SPS The potential of the high energy laser (HEL) is considered from two points of view relative to the SPS. First, the possibility of basing a HEL weapon on the SPS and using it against a variety of targets is considered. These targets include military installations, personnel, ICBMs, SLBMs and satellites. A second possibility is that ground-based HELs would be employed against the SPS systems. The performance of these HEL systems are estimated for the year 2000. It should be clearly understood that these projections are order-of-magnitude estimates for laser performance and target vulnerabilities, based upon theoretical analyses of the basic physical phenomena involved. C.3.1 System Description The heart of a HEL is the laser cavity, where an optical resonator is utilized to extract energy from the population inversion in a fast-flowing gas. The power satellites have a unique potential to supply large amounts (8GW) of electrical DC power for indefinite time periods, as do the cargo orbital transfer vehicles (COTV), with 260 to 610 MW of DC power. This suggests that an electrical discharge laser (EDL) could be mated with a power satellite or a COTV. It should operate in a closed-cycle mode, so that the reactant gas supply could be reused. The major parts of the HEL system would be: o the energy generation system, which in this application is assumed to be DC electrical power in the GW range from the solar arrays of the power satellite or the COTVs; o the laser beam generator, which would operate as a closed-cycle EDL system on any of several different wavelengths ranging from the mid-IR (10.6 pm) to the UV (0.2 pm); (See Figure C.3-1 for a schematic diagram.) o the beam control and projection system, which would consist of a large, extremely smooth primary mirror to project the laser beam, and the necessary mirrors to route the beam internally; and o the fire control system (FCS), which would detect, acquire, and track potential targets. The FCS would also fire the laser weapon, maintain the beam on the target, change targets when appropriate, and assess damage. Weight and volume scaling laws for the laser system are estimated for the year 2000 and plotted in Figures C.3-2 and C.3-3. Note that the total system weight is a
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