Lockheed Martin announced Thursday that it has successfully demonstrated the Area Defense Anti-Munitions (ADAM) system in multiple tests against free-flying Kassam-like rocket targets.
The prototype laser system destroyed eight small-caliber rocket targets in flight at a range of approximately 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) in tests conducted in March and April 2013, reported Opli.net.
Lockheed Martin is developing the transportable, ground-based ADAM laser system to provide a defense against short-range threats, including improvised rockets such as Kassam rockets, unmanned aerial systems and small boats.
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The tests represent increasingly complex scenarios against representative airborne targets. In 2012, the system successfully destroyed 11 small-caliber rocket targets in simulated flight tethered to a cable at a range of approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles). The system also successfully engaged an unmanned aerial system target in flight at a range of approximately 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) in 2012.
“Our test results demonstrate the capabilities of the ADAM system to provide a practical, affordable directed-energy solution to the real-world problem of close-in threats,” said Tory Bruno, president of Strategic and Missile Defense Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.