Area of Interest for the DoD Joint Directed Energy Transition Office (JDETO): Fast Steering Mirrors for Directed Energy Weapon Systems

The Joint Directed Energy Transition Office (JDETO) is part of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies. In accordance with the Department of Defense (DoD) Directed Energy (DE) Roadmap and other strategic guidance, the JDETO executes a science and technology (S&T) investment portfolio in DE to impact multiple directed energy weapon systems (DEWS) and multiple military missions while complementing specific military service needs. The JDETO’s S&T investments focus heavily on near-term transition opportunities (at the component, sub-system, and system levels) to accelerate the fielding of DEWS.

JDETO investments in advanced components will unlock the potential of DEWS as part of integrated air and missile defense. Certain missions require advances in technical capabilities, producibility, and/or affordability of key components. Once these component advances are made, the high magazine depth, low cost per shot, speed-of-light time-to-target, and other benefits of DEWS will enhance mission effectiveness by increasing the number of incoming threats that can be defeated within allowable time periods, costs, and logistical burdens.

The specific component for this Area of Interest is a high-bandwidth fast steering mirror (FSM) prototype under the authority in 10 United States Code 4022. A FSM is a flat mirror that is mounted to a mechanical assembly. Through controlled actuation, a FSM enables several critical functions for DEWS, including beam stabilization, pointing, and tracking. See attached Area of Interest for additional information.