AFRL - DIRECTED ENERGY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
AFRL/RD Directed Energy Directorate
Research Facilities and Programs:
AFRL/RD Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico
The Directed Energy Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory is the United States Air Force’s center of excellence for directed energy technology. With an annual operating budget exceeding $300M, the workforce of 800+ people develop and transition research technologies into military systems used by operational commands.
The Directorate operates on 4,325 acres of land with over 860,000 square feet of laboratory and office space. In addition to the numerous state-of-the-art research facilities and testing structures at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, unique facilities include the Starfire Optical Range (SOR) at Kirtland, a testing site at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range, and the Air Force Maui Optical & Supercomputing Site (AMOS) in Hawaii.
There are four core technical competencies at the center of all research and development in the Directorate.
- High-Power Microwaves develops technologies for counter electronics, force protection, as well as other innovative technologies for systems improvements and future military applications. Sub-core competencies include: Pulsed Power, Low Frequency RF, High Frequency RF, and Plasmas.
- Lasers research and development enables precision accuracy with long-range strike capabilities at the speed of light. Sub-core competencies include: Gas and Chemical Lasers, Bulk Solid State Lasers, Fiber Lasers, and Semiconductor Lasers.
- Beam Control technologies are developed to precisely control and propagate high-quality laser beams through air and enable high resolution imaging of objects in space. Sub-core competencies include: Atmospheric Propagation and Adaptive Optics, Acquisition, Tracking and Pointing, and Space Situational Awareness.
- Modeling, Simulation and Effects simulate and validate technology developments for directed energy components and systems. Sub-core competencies include: Systems Modeling, Mission Modeling, Directed Energy Effects, and Directed Energy Physics Modeling.
At the heart of Directed Energy Directorate’s research is the mission of the United States Air Force: to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests – to fly and fight in air, space and cyberspace.
