US-based fiber laser firm IPG Photonics announced the opening of a new customer center and production site in Huntsville, AL, USA, in early November. The company said in a press release that the facility will serve as the headquarters of its newly created IPG Defense business, focusing on the development and production of laser defense technologies for both military and civilian operations.

A strategic location

The Huntsville facility is strategically located close to several key US Department of Defense sites, as well as airspace cleared for drone-testing applications. It will have 14,000 square feet of space to serve as a venue for customer demonstrations and meetings, provide flexible workspaces and support the development and production of the Crossbow laser defense system.

IPG says that Huntsville “has long been an epicenter for defense programs and a hub for some of the best industry talent,” which it is leveraging to fill jobs in IPG Defense. “This new facility enables our engineers to more rapidly design, develop and manufacture our current line of Crossbow laser defense products and allows us to scale up the local workforce to meet the increased demand for our laser defense solutions,” said Ben Allison, Vice President of IPG Defense Products.

Aiming at Crossbow

Crossbow is a laser system designed to neutralize smaller unmanned aerial systems, including those known as Group 1 and Group 2 drones, with “unmatched precision,” according to the company. The series can be deployed as a 3-kW high-energy laser, 8-kW high-energy laser or 500-W Dazzler, either on its own or part of a larger defense solution.

In August, aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin selected the Crossbow as the laser weapon system for integration into its Sanctum counter-UAS architecture. CEO Mark Gitin told investors on a recent call that there was also strong interest in the system at two defense shows, with conversations ongoing with “multiple” potential additional customers for protecting both military and civilian assets.

“Over the last few months, there have been multiple examples of large international airports that were forced to shut down all flights due to the incursion of drones,” said Gitin, referring to drone-related shutdowns at airports in Munich, Copenhagen and Oslo. “We are optimistic that our solution can become a standard approach across many situations and scenarios to deal with these ever-increasing threats.”

IPG also noted in a press release that it plans to integrate its other laser-based solutions, including capabilities in welding, cutting, and cleaning, as well as robotic automation for large-scale manufacturing, across the defense industry.