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Leonardo gets U.S. Army deal for powerful diode lasers
The U.S. Army awarded Leonardo Electronics US a $30.1 million contract modification to continue research on phase-locked semiconductor diode laser arrays. The work seeks to combine emissions from many small diode sources into a single, more powerful and coherent beam, a technical step relevant to compact high-energy laser systems. Fiscal 2026 Army research funds are fully obligated, and development will continue in Tucson, Arizona, through March 29, 2029, focusing on beam quality, efficiency, and scalable power for future systems rather than procurement of an operational weapon.