Abstract

This paper presents a detailed technical and programmatic history of missile defense and the “Star Wars” program and its’ evolution to today’s tactical battlefield laser systems, marking the 30^th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” speech. Since Archimedes’ “Burning Glass” at the siege of Syracuse 212 B.C. through the development of the LASER technologists have been fascinated with the idea of using directed energy weapons. But nothing did more to focus this effort than the threat posed by Mutually Assured Destruction. Under Reagan’s “Star Wars” plan years and billions of dollars were invested in making high energy laser systems a reality. This presentation discusses the fundamentals of laser physics as applied to integrated operational systems and traces the development of these systems from the Gas Dynamic LASER laboratory in the 1960s and the USAF Airborne Laser Laboratory of 1981 through the SDI era and up to today. In reflecting on the effort invested in developing this technology, this interdisciplinary talk addresses the role that this technology played in changing the geopolitical state of the cold war and continues to play in international defense efforts today. Included in the discussion are a focus on the challenges to fielding operational versions of such systems including basic physics issues as well as systems engineering integration challenges. (Note this is an extensive historical and technical review and takes an hour to present). A .pdf file of the entire presentation can be provided upon request but is too large to submit online.

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