ARETE ASSOCIATES — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: Laser designation and marking is critical in today's high precision combat environmen

Description

Laser designation and marking is critical in today's high precision combat environment. Performance is limited by how well the soldier can hold the laser beam onto the target. Current fielded laser designator systems minimize beam pointing error by employing a heavy'stabilized'mount. Having to carry a current fielded stabilized laser system with the heavy tripod impairs the combat effectiveness of the soldier. A smaller, lighter laser designator system such as the Line of Sight-Short (LOS-S) will enhance the soldier"s mobility and reduce his fatigue. A miniature, lightweight laser beam stabilizer component is required for the LOS-S to maintain the required volume and weight of the laser designator/marker. To address this problem Arete Associates proposes a Monolithic LOS Stabilized (MLOSS) laser designator/marker system based on innovative laser beam steering technology that leverages existing Arete program activities in the area of LOS stabilization and laser development.