PHILADELPHIA, PA — U.S. defense technology company Attalon has introduced the Valaris family of directed-energy laser systems, a new product lineup designed to provide defense contractors and military system integrators with multiple laser architectures and power levels for air, land and maritime applications.
Attalon says the Valaris family combines its coherent, spectral and dichroic beam-combining technologies with lightweight adaptive optics for beam control. The company has structured the lineup around three variants, allowing customers to select a laser architecture and power level according to their specific mission requirements.
Three Valaris Laser Variants
The Valaris X is the highest-powered system in the family. It uses a coherently beam-combined (CBC) architecture and provides 50-kilowatt-class performance. Attalon says the system can scale beyond 300 kilowatts for long-range directed-energy missions and incorporates advanced adaptive optics.
The Valaris S uses a spectrally beam-combined (SBC) architecture and provides 30-kilowatt-class output. It is designed to scale to 50-kilowatt-class levels, while focusing on beam quality, manufacturing scalability and cost.
The Valaris D uses a dichroically beam-combined (DBC) architecture and provides 10-kilowatt-class performance. Attalon positions it for lower-power missions and as a more cost-effective option for operational applications.
According to Attalon, bringing the three architectures together under one product family is intended to give defense primes, system integrators and government customers greater flexibility when selecting a laser system.
The company says the modular approach also focuses on manufacturability, maintainability and operational readiness as directed-energy technologies move from demonstrations toward production programs.
Focus on Field Maintainability
The Valaris announcement follows Attalon's recent work on improving the maintainability of high-energy laser systems.
On July 23, Attalon announced the first production shipment of its Kilowatt Interconnect (kWIC) Disconnect subsystem. The component is designed to allow field replacement of laser amplifiers without fiber splicing or specialized maintenance personnel. Attalon says the system provides a precision-aligned fiber-optic connection and includes verification checks for proper alignment before laser operation.
Attalon's focus on field serviceability is part of its broader effort to develop directed-energy components that can be maintained outside specialized facilities.
Recent U.S. Navy Directed-Energy Work
Attalon also received a $17.1 million contract modification from the Office of Naval Research under the U.S. Navy's SONGBOW program in July.
The work includes continued development of pulsed fiber lasers for remote sensing and illumination and further development of a 400-kilowatt-class directed-energy subsystem through the integration of a 50-kilowatt laser with a beam-control assembly. The work is being led by Attalon's Directed Energy & Advanced Lasers team in Beavercreek, Ohio.
The SONGBOW award adds to Attalon's ongoing work in high-power laser systems and beam-control technologies.
Attalon's Directed-Energy Business
Attalon is an independent U.S. defense technology company headquartered in Philadelphia. The company works in directed energy, precision optics and coatings for aerospace and defense applications. Attalon says its vertically integrated approach covers technologies from materials through finished laser and beam-control assemblies.
The company's Directed Energy & Advanced Lasers business is led by Matt Straup, vice president and general manager.
With Valaris, Attalon is bringing its three beam-combining approaches into a single product family, with systems ranging from 10-kilowatt-class to 50-kilowatt-class output and higher scaling options for the Valaris X. The company says the lineup is intended to give defense customers more options when selecting directed-energy systems for different mission and integration requirements.
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