NIKE laser realigns mission to support US nuclear deterrence goals

NIKE laser realigns mission to support US nuclear deterrence goals
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 06, 2025

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has repositioned its NIKE laser-target facility to directly support the Department of Defense's nuclear strategy, leveraging its advanced capabilities to strengthen national defense priorities.

This marks a major shift away from the facility's longstanding support for Department of Energy missions, particularly those under the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The NIKE facility now focuses on delivering critical science and technology innovations in support of DoD nuclear deterrence.

Built in 1995 with NNSA backing, NIKE was originally designed to investigate direct-drive inertial confinement fusion as part of efforts to maintain the nation's nuclear stockpile. The system is recognized as the world's most powerful krypton-fluoride excimer laser, producing ultrasmooth pulses at 248 nanometers and yielding 2-3 kilojoules of energy.

"NIKE is the world's most energetic krypton-fluoride excimer laser, delivering ultrasmooth pulsed beams at a wavelength of 248 nanometers with 2-3 kilojoules of energy," said Jason Bates, Ph.D., head of NRL's Laser Plasma Branch. "These unique capabilities enable researchers to generate strong, stable shock waves and create exceptionally clean experimental conditions for studying extreme physical states of matter."

For years, NIKE supported NNSA's broader laser programs, including contributions to the National Ignition Facility (NIF), which recently reached fusion ignition-a milestone where the fusion output surpassed the input energy.

NRL researchers have been instrumental in advancing laser technologies, transferring innovations such as monochromatic x-ray radiography, the Virgil gold M-band spectrometer, and flashlamp-pumped disk amplifiers for neodymium-doped glass lasers to other high-energy programs.

Through collaboration with the Air Force, NIKE's enhanced capabilities are now targeting key challenges in nuclear survivability. "This partnership between NRL and the Air Force Research Laboratory represents a vital leap forward in our ability to simulate and understand the extreme environments that nuclear assets must navigate," Bates said. "NIKE's unique laser and diagnostic capabilities are unmatched, enabling us to close critical gaps in assessing the survivability of our platforms."

With competitors like China and Russia pursuing similar laser systems, securing NIKE's future is vital. NRL has initiated a recapitalization strategy to ensure the facility's longevity and enhance its contributions to U.S. nuclear readiness.

"NRL's NIKE facility is an important national asset with unique capabilities that allow it to serve a broad range of missions supporting stockpile stewardship, fusion energy research, directed energy, hypersonics, and fundamental studies of materials at extreme conditions. Its continued operation for the good of the Nation remains our goal through its new focus," said Joe Penano, Ph.D., superintendent of NRL's Plasma Physics Division.

The Division conducts integrated theoretical and experimental research in laser and plasma physics, covering topics from atmospheric laser propagation to advanced accelerator designs. Its efforts are rooted in decades of laser research that began in the 1960s and gained formal structure under the Atomic Energy Commission in 1972.

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