Caption Above Right: As part of its development of the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL)/Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD), TRW designed, developed and produced the THEL beam director, the hardware responsible for steering THEL's high energy laser beam to its target. The key optical component of THEL's pointer/tracker subsystem, the beam director (shown in photo) will be integrated with THEL's laser subsystem and command, control, communications and intelligence subsystem at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

The pointer tracker subsystem will be integrated this fall with the command, control, communications and intelligence (C3I) subsystem and the laser subsystem to form the THEL/ACTD fire unit. The C3I subsystem has been undergoing testing at HELSTF since June 1998. TRW has also begun moving the laser subsystem from the company's Capistrano Test Site in Southern California, where it has been undergoing development and testing, to HELSTF. The company expects that move to be completed by mid-October.

"The transition of the key THEL/ACTD subsystems to HELSTF positions us to begin the next major phase of the program - integration into the first fully operational fire unit," said Tom Romesser, vice president and deputy general manager of TRW's Space & Laser Programs Division and TRW's THEL/ACTD program manager. "The team continues to make significant technical progress toward the goal of demonstrating for the U.S. and Israeli governments the effectiveness of lasers against short range rocket attacks."

THEL/ACTD is a ground-based, short-range air defense system that will use a high-energy chemical laser to protect civilians and military assets against attack by terrorist threats such as Katyusha rockets. TRW leads a team of U.S. and Israeli subcontractors that is developing the THEL/ACTD fire unit for the U.S. Army Space & Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala and the Israel Ministry of Defense. The first fire unit will be a "transportable" system packaged in several semi-trailer sized containers.

A series of tracking tests conducted at HELSTF last summer demonstrated that the THEL/ACTD C3I subsystem can track live Katyusha rockets accurately . Over the next several months, explained Romesser, the THEL team will integrate the pointer tracker system and demonstrate that the C3I system can "hand off" tracking information about the Katyushas in flight to the pointer tracker system. This hand-off includes moving successfully from the C3I subsystem's radar tracking mode to the pointer-tracker's optical tracking mode.

The final integration step will be the laser reactivation at HELSTF later this fall. Once the THEL/ACTD fire unit has been fully integrated and functionally tested -- live Katyusha rocket testing will begin. The first shoot-downs of operational rockets are anticipated this winter.

TRW has been engaged in laser research and development since 1961. The company produces solid-state lasers for defense and industrial applications, and designs and develops a variety of high-energy chemical lasers for space, ground and airborne applications. These chemical lasers include hydrogen fluoride, deuterium fluoride and chemical oxygen iodine lasers.