PHILADELPHIA, PA — Attalon received a $17.1 million contract modification from the Office of Naval Research to advance high-power laser and directed-energy technologies for future U.S. Navy systems, extending federal investment in weapons-related research that remains in the development stage.
The award falls under the Navy’s SONGBOW program and will fund continued work on pulsed fiber lasers used for remote sensing and illumination, along with development of a 400-kilowatt-class directed-energy subsystem.
Attalon plans to integrate a 50-kilowatt laser with a beam-control assembly as part of that effort. The work will be led by the company’s Directed Energy & Advanced Lasers team in Beavercreek, Ohio.
The contract modification reflects the Navy’s broader push to mature high-energy laser systems from laboratory research toward operational use, with emphasis on scalable laser architectures and precision beam control.
“SONGBOW is focused on advancing the technologies that will enable the next generation of directed energy systems,” Matt Straup, Attalon’s vice president of Directed Energy & Advanced Lasers, said.
Straup said the work is intended to advance fiber lasers, beam control and system integration as the underlying technologies move closer to field deployment.
Attalon also said it is expanding facilities, internal research and development, and its technical workforce as part of a broader investment in U.S.-based engineering and manufacturing capacity.
Chief Executive Officer John Bergeron said the company is focused on translating research into systems that can be used operationally, describing the award as part of Attalon’s effort to strengthen domestic production and defense-technology capabilities.
The latest funding builds on Attalon’s existing work in laser architectures, optics, beam-control technologies and integrated subsystems for defense programs.
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