The US Air Force tested on April 23 at White Sand Air Base in New Mexico, the new laser system intended to protect aircraft from SHIELD missiles, for Self-protecter High Energy Laser Demonstrator (perfect acronym, is not- it not?). The test was carried out on the ground, and consisted in intercepting several missiles launched in the direction of the test site.
As with the US Army and US Navy programs, SHIELD plans operational use between 2021 and 2025, initially having to equip the F15 Strike Eagle in a version contained in a pod. But here again, energy production represents a decisive issue, knowing that a laser of this type must reach a power greater than 10 KWh to be effective.
SHIELD will constitute the first hard kill type protection system for American aircraft, and, depending on its performance, could undermine current Denial of Access technologies. It remains to be seen whether the system will actually be effective against new missiles flying at high supersonic speed, such as the R-37M, may or may not actually be intercepted…