Fusion energy has been seen as one of humanity's biggest energy goals for many years. This technology, which aims to imitate the sun's energy production method, theoretically has the potential to produce very high amounts of energy with low carbon emissions.
However, the latest developments in fusion research may open the door to a new era of technology not only in the energy sector but also in the field of defense.
THERE ARE UAVS AND MISSILES ON THE TARGET
One of the notable examples of this transformation was the new collaboration between US-based Xcimer Energy and defense and aerospace company RTX. The companies are working on a deal worth approximately $50 million to develop high-power pulsed lasers.
The agreement also includes RTX investing in Xcimer. The goal is quite clear: To develop a high-power and portable laser system that can neutralize different air threats, from low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles to missiles.
The system that Xcimer and RTX are working on will be approximately the size of a shipping container. The system, which is planned to be transported from land to another point, will use pulsed ultraviolet laser. The companies aim to demonstrate the prototype system in approximately two years.
'INFINITE AMMUNITION DEPTH'
One of the most important features of the system is that it has a different operating logic than traditional missile defense systems. While firing a missile or other ammunition means consuming new ammunition with each use, the laser system works using electricity.
Juan de Bedout, RTX's chief technology officer, described this feature as 'infinite ammunition depth' in his statement to the Wall Street Journal. In other words, the system can be used repeatedly as long as there is enough electricity.
This can provide a significant advantage against low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles, the number of which has increased rapidly in battlefields, especially in recent years. Because using a much more expensive defense missile to neutralize a relatively cheap drone poses a serious problem for defense budgets.
THE ROOTS OF TECHNOLOGY DETAIL TO THE 'COLD WAR'
The idea that has come to the fore again today is actually not entirely new. The roots of the technology Xcimer is working on date back to high-power laser research during the Cold War.
In the 1980s, researchers working at the US Department of Defense and national laboratories were working on high-power lasers within the scope of the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was called 'Star Wars' by then US President Ronald Reagan.
One of the important goals of this research was to develop systems that could neutralize threats such as intercontinental ballistic missiles in the air. At that time, researchers worked on increasing gas-based excimer lasers to very high power levels. However, with the end of the Cold War, interest and funding for such projects decreased significantly.
While the program was terminated in the early 1990s, excimer laser technology did not disappear completely. This technology continues to be used today, especially in semiconductor production. On the other hand, laser fusion studies carried out by the USA for the purpose of energy production and safe management of its nuclear weapons stock have turned to different laser technologies over time. Years later, the founders of Xcimer re-examined old research and concluded that this approach could be re-evaluated.
200 MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN XCIMER
Xcimer, which received the support of important investors in a short time, has raised approximately 200 million dollars in investment to date. The company's investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, backed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Emerson Collective, founded by Laurene Powell Jobs.
The US Department of Energy also awarded Xcimer $9 million as part of a program aimed at supporting the development of fusion technology. While these investments finance the company's efforts to achieve its ultimate goal of a commercial fusion power plant, the defense agreement with RTX opens a new area for Xcimer to generate revenue in the shorter term.
Conner Galloway, the company's CEO and chief scientific officer, states that weapons studies carried out with RTX can complete Xcimer's goal of establishing a commercial fusion power plant by 2035. This point is especially important for startups in the fusion sector. Because developing the systems required to produce fusion energy on a commercial scale is an extremely costly and long-term process. Income from laser technologies in the field of defense can support the company's energy efforts.
TWO YEAR TARGET FOR PRIMARY RELEASE
The short-term goal of the joint work, which started with an agreement worth approximately 50 million dollars, is to create a portable prototype. The system, which is approximately the size of a shipping container, is planned to be transported to different points in the field. The first screening is aimed to be made within two years. If the project is successful, the laser technology developed by Xcimer for fusion energy could also become one of the key components of new generation air defense systems.
This situation also points to an important change in fusion research. Fusion technology, which has been seen as the clean energy source of the future for years, is now closely followed not only for its potential to generate electricity but also for the development of high-power lasers that can be used in the defense industry. The biggest goal for Xcimer is to advance two different paths at the same time:
On the one hand, to develop the powerful laser systems needed by the defense industry in the short term, and on the other hand, to achieve the goal of producing fusion energy on a commercial scale by 2035.
If successful, the resulting technology could change not only the way air threats are neutralized on the battlefield, but also the future of fusion energy.
