ODIN dazzler destined for more destroyers
USS Stockdale (DDG 106) was one of the first USN guided missile destroyers to be equipped with the ODIN C-UAS laser. (Photo: USN)
Shipborne C-UAS laser will be installed on five more Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
Additional USN vessels are to receive the AN/SEQ-4 Optical Dazzler Interdictor, Navy (ODIN) directed-energy weapon for C-UAS operations.
Prime contractor VTG announced on 21 July that it will install and integrate ODIN on five Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided missile destroyers, having been selected by the US Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Port Hueneme Division.
The value of the deal and project timeframe were undisclosed.
In 2020, VTG successfully integrated the C-UAS laser aboard USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USS Spruance (DDG 111) under a separate sole-source contract, completing both projects on time and on budget. This followed the first integration of ODIN in February 2020 aboard USS Dewey. The USN released a photo of Stockdale on 14 July that showed ODIN installed on the forecastle.
Developed and built by the NSWC Dahlgren Division, ODIN is being rapidly fielded to meet an urgent USN operational requirement. The laser will be installed on surface vessels to counter asymmetric threats and provide a scalable response for escalation of force.
While the USN refuses to specify the power of ODIN, previous budget documents indicated that it is a low-power solid-state laser.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US Navy takes delivery of New Jersey SSN]()
US Navy takes delivery of New Jersey SSN
The USN’s Virginia-class SSNs are replacing the old Los Angeles-class SSNs. The Virginia-class SSNs are fitted with the latest sensors and weapons and around 48 submarines are planned, with a total of 38 currently ordered.
-
![BMT and DNV partner to meet Australia’s heavy landing craft requirement]()
BMT and DNV partner to meet Australia’s heavy landing craft requirement
Under Project Land 8710 Phase 2, Australia has been seeking to acquire an undisclosed number of Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels to replace the Balikpapan-class. The programme has an estimated value of AU$1.4 billion (US$910 million), with IOC slated for 2032.
-
![Babcock to take over upkeep of Royal Navy Type-23 frigates]()
Babcock to take over upkeep of Royal Navy Type-23 frigates
The Royal Navy’s Type-23 Duke-class frigates for the UK Royal Navy were designed as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships but now have a multi-role function. Of the 16 Type 23s built, 12 remain in service with the Royal Navy and will be replaced by the Type-26 frigates before 2035.
-
![Austal completes autonomy trials with former Royal Australian Navy patrol boat]()
Austal completes autonomy trials with former Royal Australian Navy patrol boat
The work took place under the Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT), which has been a collaboration between Austal, Greenroom Robotics, the Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre and the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Warfare Innovation Navy Branch.
-
![Singapore launches fourth and final Type 218SG submarine]()
Singapore launches fourth and final Type 218SG submarine
The era of southeast Asian submarine modernisation has been in full swing fuelled by growing tensions in the South China Sea.
