Two former leaders at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville are taking their expertise in high-energy lasers to the private sector.
Austin-based defense technology company ACS announced Tuesday the creation of a Directed Energy division and the appointments of Amanda Clark as vice president of directed energy and John Mason as program director of high-energy laser development.
Both previously held senior positions at SMDC, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal.
The new division will focus on developing high-energy laser capabilities to help U.S. and allied forces defend against emerging threats, including weaponized drones.
Clark joins ACS after 17 years of engineering and leadership experience at SMDC, most recently serving as chief of the command’s Directed Energy Division. She also previously served as acting director of the Joint Directed Energy Transition Office within the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering.
Clark earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Mason previously served as SMDC’s Directed Energy Technologies Branch chief, overseeing technical development across the command’s directed energy programs. He also held leadership positions in private industry developing laser weapons and other advanced technologies.
“The defense industry has invested heavily in directed energy, but generating a powerful beam is only part of the challenge. You still have to find a fast-moving threat, stay on target, and engage it with precision,” said Joe Bingold, president and CEO of ACS.
“Amanda and John’s extensive hands-on expertise from the U.S. Army’s directed energy efforts, combined with our unparalleled technical talent and innovative approach, will enable us to rapidly build the layered defenses needed to protect U.S. and allied forces and critical infrastructure at scale.”
ACS develops autonomous defense systems using artificial intelligence, computer vision and precision robotics.
Its flagship Bullfrog system is an AI-powered weapon station designed to detect, track and engage drones using conventional weapons. The company plans to apply that targeting technology to its development of high-energy laser systems.
Headquartered in Austin, ACS has an innovation lab in Huntsville and offices in Alexandria, Virginia. The company holds contracts with the Army, Marine Corps and Special Operations Command.
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