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Pentagon accelerates directed-energy: Lockheed/nLIGHT high-energy lasers; Space Force funds Pulse Space $40M for laser power and

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The Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin and nLIGHT Defense contracts to transition high-energy laser weapon systems into field-ready, production-oriented platforms to defeat drones and cruise missiles. Separately, the Space Force funded Pulse Space’s $40 million effort for laser-based power beaming and orbital tracking. The Space Force also finalized an acquisition-structure reform creating nine mission-area portfolio acquisition executives.

Discovered 2026-07-09T06:15:31.858085-07:00 | 2026-07-09T06:15:31.858085-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • The Pentagon’s near-term push to rapidly transition high-energy lasers into production-oriented, field-ready platforms targets two priority threats—uncrewed aircraft and cruise missiles—and signals a shift from lab demos to deployable capability.
  • The Space Force’s $40 million award to Pulse Space links directed energy to two mission-critical roles—laser power beaming and orbital tracking—highlighting demand for space-laser enabling technologies beyond weapons.
  • The Space Force’s acquisition-structure overhaul—creating nine mission-area portfolio acquisition executives—can materially affect how directed-energy programs are prioritized, staffed, and fielded, shaping the execution path for both defense and space applications.

Reported By

Lockheed Martin defencestar.in overtdefense.com Satellite Evolution AeroTime defence-blog.com
Sources Tracked
28
First Seen
2026-07-09T06:15:31.858085-07:00
Latest Update
2026-07-10T12:44:53.560667-07:00
Coverage
Space

Sources

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