A thermal management system for a pulse load on an aircraft. The thermal management system utilizing the reserve fuel from the aircraft to create thermal capacitance such that the instantaneous capacity of the cooling system to remove heat from the aircraft may be sized less than the rate of heat generated by the pulsed load (e.g. laser, radar, rail gun etc.) The reserve fuel is maintained at a temperature in a reservoir and cooled via a cooling system. Fuel from the reservoir is selectively mixed with fuel exiting the pulsed load heat exchanger to provide fuel to the inlet of the heat exchanger at a predetermined temperature, the temperature based at least upon the heat generated by the laser, flow rate of fuel and efficiency of the heat exchanger.

A method of irradiating an electromagnetic pulse includes specifying a position of a target having electronic equipment; setting the light-condensing point based on the position of the target; and condensing the laser beam to generate plasma in the light-condensing point such that the electromagnetic pulse generated from the plasma is irradiated to the electronic equipment. In this way, a method and system for irradiating an electromagnetic pulse are realized which can irradiate the electromagnetic pulse of a large output while restraining diffusion of the electromagnetic pulse.

Systems and methods thermal management of a directed energy weapon are provided. The system may include a controller module executable by a processor to determine a planned energy emission from a light-emitting diode (LED) of the directed energy weapon. The controller module may generate a cooling instruction to influence a temperature of the LED with a cooling fluid in response to the planned energy emission. The controller module may cause the cooling fluid to be applied to the LED in accordance with the cooling instruction prior to a start of the planned energy emission of the LED.

The invention is a smart laser defense weapon, specialized to avoid killing humans.

An optical system for laser-pointing a target through the atmosphere, with four optical channels: a passive imaging channel with an auxiliary camera linked to a coarse pointing control device; an illumination channel with a pulsed illumination source and temporal synchronization means, these channels including a first common optical coarse pointing device; an effector channel with a high-power laser source; an active imaging channel with: a high-speed camera synchronized with the illumination source by the synchronization means, and linked to a fine pointing control device; means for harmonizing the high-speed camera with the high-power laser source; the active imaging and effector channels form a pair and include a second common optical coarse pointing device, the coarse pointing devices controlled by the coarse pointing control device; a common optical fine pointing device, controlled by the fine pointing control device; and the coarse pointing control device is linked to the fine pointing control device.

A non-lethal weapon that delivers a high voltage electrical stun charge to a living organism at a distance without the use of wires, said weapon comprising at least one power laser and a high-voltage electrical circuit, wherein the power laser creates a beam of coherent light that ionizes the air, thus bringing into existence one or more paths of ion-rich gaseous plasma which conduct an electrical stun charge to the living target, and temporarily incapacitate the target.

An exemplary high-speed hybrid propulsion system for a tiltrotor aircraft includes two pivotal nacelles, each nacelle comprising an electric motor coupled to a proprotor; an electric aircraft system; an electric generator; an electrical bus electrically connected to the electric generator, the electric motors, and the electric aircraft system; and a convertible turbofan engine coupled to an electric generator through a drive shaft.

A system is provided that includes a light source, a first mirror, a second mirror, and a support structure. The light source provides light energy along an optical path extending along an optical axis. The first mirror receives and re-directs the light energy from the light source, and pivots about an azimuth axis. The second mirror receives the re-directed light energy from the first mirror and to re-direct the light energy toward a target through a window. The support structure has a first end and a second end. The first end is mounted at a support rotation point, with the support structure rotating about the support rotation point as the first mirror pivots about the azimuth axis. The second mirror is mounted to the second end of the support structure.

A coherent imaging system produces coherent flood illumination directed toward a remote object and local oscillator (LO) illumination derived based on a same master oscillator as the flood illumination. A Doppler sensor receives the LO illumination and a return of flood illumination reflected off the object. Doppler shift data from the Doppler sensor, corresponding to a longitudinal velocity of the object relative to the imaging system, is used to produce Doppler-shifted LO illumination received by a low bandwidth, large format focal plane array (FPA), together with the return illumination from the object. Interference between the Doppler-shifted LO illumination and the return illumination facilitates producing an image of the object with the low bandwidth FPA despite the longitudinal velocity. Pixel intensities from the FPA are integrated over a period approaching the maximum interference frequency. The Doppler sensor and FPA may concurrently process return for a high energy laser target spot.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a laser weapon system, comprising: one or more lasers for generating electromagnetic radiation; laser optics for directing the generated electromagnetic radiation at a target; and a control system, the control system being arranged to monitor three-dimensional position of an object other than the target, and to control a mask to at least limit generated electromagnetic radiation being directed at that object or to direct generated electromagnetic radiation towards another target or a safe location.