Research Facilities and Programs:
AFRL/RD (Kirtland Air Force Base, NM)
AFRL/RD (Maui, HI)
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 Electromagnetics develops technologies for counter electronics, force protection, as well as other innovative technologies for systems improvements and future military applications. Sub-core competencies include: High Power Electromagnetic Sources and Components; Novel Electromagnetic Sources; High Power Electromagnetics Systems; and High Power Electromagnetic Effects, Modeling, and Simulation.
• Laser Systems research and development explores advanced high power laser sources spanning gas, solid state, and fiber parallel with innovative beam control schemes providing precision accuracy with long-range strike capabilities at the speed of light. Sub-core competencies include: Laser Sources; Beam Control; Laser System Technologies, Integration and Demonstration; and Laser System Effects, Modeling, and Simulation.
• Directed Energy and Electro-Optics for Space Superiority technologies and atmospheric studies are key to enable tracking and high resolution imaging of objects in space. Sub-core competencies include: Atmospheric Characterization and Compensation; Physics of EO Phenomenology and Imaging; and Space Object Custody and Protection.
• Weapons Modeling, and Simulation does concept analysis and models synergy of directed energy and kinetic weapons at the mission level. Sub-core competencies include: Model Development and Validation; and Applied Weapon Engagement and Mission Analysis.
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.
