Course Details

A thorough presentation of HEL weapons systems is developed. The course provides a complete overview of laser weapon systems, including laser devices (chemical, solid state, and free electron), laser subsystems (power, thermal management, fluid supply), beam control (beam directors, tracking and control, adaptive optics), atmospheric propagation, targets and lethality, engagement scenarios, and weapon system performance. The course emphasizes concepts, terminology, current technological capabilities, and systems concepts. The course does not develop key relationships from first principles. Limitations on the effectiveness of HEL weapons and key performance trade-offs will be addressed. Application of these concepts to current systems will include the historical Airborne Laser Laboratory, Airborne Laser, Tactical High Energy Laser, Advanced Tactical Laser, and Space-Based Laser programs. The effectiveness of HEL weapons on the battlefield will be simulated using engagement and mission level models. The course includes a number of extended, worked problems, including a simplified calculation of weapon effectiveness for a high alititude, long range, air-to-air engagement.

Topics

Airborne Laser

• The promise of HEL weapons
• Introduction to concepts of systems engineering
• Overview of HEL weapon systems
• Fundamentals of laser devices
• HEL devices
• The atmosphere
• Beam control systems
• Lethality
• HEL weapon systems
• Laser weapon system effectiveness

Course Instructors (Not all instructors will participate in every offering.)

Salvatore Cusumano, Director of the Center for Directed Energy, AFIT. B.S.E.E. Air Force Academy 1971, M.S.E.E. AFIT 1977, Ph.D. University of Illinois 1988. Dr. Cusumano's research covered resonator alignment, intra-cavity adaptive optics, phased arrays, telescope control, pointing and tracking, adaptive optics, and component technology for directed energy. He holds two patents (jointly) for his work in phased arrays. He joined AFIT after over 20 years of directed energy related work at Kirtland AFB.

Matthew Goda, Major, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, AFIT. B.S. physics University of Rochester 1989, MSEE Tufts University 1996, Ph.D. University of Arizona 2002. Maj Goda's research interests include electro-optics, image processing, and multi-resolution representation.

Robert Hengehold, Professor of Physics and Head, Department of Engineering Physics, AFIT. A.B. Thomas More College 1956; M.S. University of Cincinnati 1961; Ph.D. University of Cincinnati, 1965. Professor Hengehold's research areas include experimental solid state physics, semiconductor physics, optical diagnostics, and laser spectroscopy. He has been on the AFIT faculty for over 39 years and is the author of over 65 archival publications and 150 presentations.

Michael Marciniak, Assistant Professor of Physics, AFIT. B.S. St. Joseph's College 1981, BSEE University of Missouri 1983, MSEE AFIT 1987, Ph.D. AFIT 1995. Professor Marciniak's previous experience includes the Air Force's high power semiconductor laser program and serving as Program Manager for aerospace power technologies. His research interests include narrow band-gap semiconductors for mid-infrared lasers, coherent phasing of semiconductor lasers, and wide band-gap semiconductor materials and devices for high-power, high-temperature aerospace applications.

Glen Perram, Professor of Physics, AFIT. B.S. Cornell University 1980, M.S. AFIT 1981, Ph.D. AFIT 1986. Professor Perram's research interests include chemical lasers, laser weapon modeling and simulation, remote sensing, and chemical physics. He has served on the AFIT faculty since 1989 and is the author of over 30 archival publications and 80 presentations.

Course Options

Distance Learning Mode

This mode is mostly asynchronous. The lecture content is prerecorded and can be viewed at any time at the convenience of the student. Lectures are viewed in a web browser and can be downloaded from - or streamed over - the internet. (Both delivery modes are made available, in case a student has problems with one or the other.) More detailed access instructions will be provided upon registration.

The asynchronous lectures are supplemented by synchronous sessions using a webinar service. These sessions are designed to give instructors live "face time" with students, for Q-and-A, and for reinforcing lesson concepts. These meetings also facilitate student-to-student interaction, which is often a valuable tool in the graduate learning setting. To join these web conferences, students will need an internet-connected computer and a telephone. These sessions meet for an hour or so; attendance is not mandatory but highly encouraged. Specific meeting times are determined after students have been polled at the outset of the course.

Aside from the weekly webinar sessions of 60 - 90 minutes per week, students can set their own schedule for the course. Nevertheless, students must complete the course within eight weeks.

System requirements include high-speed internet access and a telephone. AFIT uses Microsoft Live Meeting as its webinar service provider. To join the meeting, ideally a small plug-in is installed on the student's computer. This is a one-time installation. If this cannot be accomplished, such as for lack of privileges on the employer's network, the student will still be able to join.

Classroom Mode

The classroom mode is the traditional approach, based on lectures to students who are physically present in the same room as the instructor. The 32-hour course schedule for the classroom mode from mid-day Monday through mid-day Friday makes weekend travel unnecessary for most attendees. This course has been offered in Albuquerque, NM and College Park, MD. It is not currently scheduled.