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Lasers Destroy Drones as Additive Manufacturing Builds Them: NPS Accelerates Emerging Technology at JIFX to Fulfill U.S. Navy and DOD’s Critical Needs

CAMP ROBERTS, Calif. – left: A Group 1 quadcopter burns after being engaged by Aurelius Systems’ laser weapon system (LWS). Bottom left: Side-by-side comparison of quadcopters with and without laser damage. Right: Modular airframe components of Firestorm Labs’ Tempest drone built by its xCell expeditionary additive manufacturing station. Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) runs the quarterly Joint Interagency Field Experimentation event at Camp Roberts, which was recently held Feb. 3-7. NPS, located in Monterey, California, provides defense-focused graduate education, including classified studies and interdisciplinary research, to advance the operational effectiveness, technological leadership, and warfighting advantage of the Naval service. Established in 1909, NPS offers master’s and doctorate programs to Department of Defense military and civilians, along with international partners, to deliver transformative solutions and innovative leaders through advanced education and research. (U.S. Navy graphic by Dan Linehan)