Industry attributes
Technology attributes
Other attributes
The Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL), also known as the Nautilus, is a ground-based stationary laser weapon demonstrator jointly developed by the US Army and the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMoD). Its specific purpose was to engage and destroy artillery rockets and similar ballistic threats.
The THEL Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) was initiated by a memorandum of agreement between the United States and Israeli Governments on July 18, 1996. The program was motivated by the need for a defense against short-range artillery rockets from Lebanon striking northern towns in Israel. The memorandum committed both governments to
evaluate effectiveness of high energy lasers in negating the Katyusha rocket threat.
Development was led by TRW Inc. (now part of Northop Grumman) under an $89 million contract. The demonstrator was produced by a team of US and Israeli contractors for the US Space & Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Alabama, and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Design and construction occurred between 1996 to 2000, with the demonstrator located at the High Energy Laser Test Facility, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. Testing the demonstrator happened between 2000 and 2005. During this time, it destroyed forty-six rockets, artillery, and mortar rounds in flight.
The lack of mobility and the fixed base limitations of the system given the use of longer-range rockets by Hezbulla have limited progression since the demonstration program. Following the THEL program, the US Army and IMoD began a System Engineering and Trade Study (SETS) program to define concepts for a Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL). The former THEL testbed is being transitioned for use in the US Army's Solid State Laser Test Bed Experiment, also located at the High Energy Laser Test Facility in New Mexico.
THEL is a complete, fixed-site weapon system with a high-energy laser beam generator (based on deuterium fluoride chemical laser technologies); an acquisition, pointing, and tracking system; and a battle management system, including an organic fire control radar.
The ACTD contains three subsystems:
- Command, control, communications, and intelligence (C3I) subsystem—includes fire control radar
- Laser subsystem
- Pointer-tracker subsystem
Live-fire tests of the THEL system occurred at the US Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico between 2000 and 2005. The first shootdown of an artillery rocket by THEL occurred on June 6, 2000, with additional rocket intercepts against both single and salvos of two rockets happening since. During these tests, the system was completely autonomous, performing target detection, tracking, kill assessment without intervention.
Parameters of particular interest during testing included
- engagement range,
- required laser dwell time to cause target destruction,
- elevation angle of engagement, and
- target slew rate.
The first shootdown of artillery projectiles in midflight by the THEL ACTD occurred on November 5, 2002. Throughout all field tests (2000-2005), forty-six rockets, artillery, and mortar rounds were destroyed in flight, including the following:
- Twenty-eight Katyusha rockets (including salvos & a surprise attack)
- Five artillery projectiles
- Three large-caliber rockets
- Ten mortars (including a salvo of three)
- Seven medium, two heavy, and one light rockets/missiles were destroyed.
