WASHINGTON, D.C., May 12, 2025 — The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) revealed a new strategic direction for its NIKE laser-target facility, realigning the 30-year-old krypton-fluoride excimer laser’s capabilities with the Department of Defense (DoD)’s nuclear priorities. The direction marks a shift from the facility’s historic focus on Department of Energy missions, specifically those related to the National Nuclear Security Administration.
The NIKE laser was designed to explore the physics of direct-drive inertial confinement fusion in support of the nation’s nuclear stockpile stewardship mission. The laser, housed at the NRL in Washington, D.C., delivers pulsed beams at a wavelength of 248 nm with 2-3 kJ of energy, according to Jason Bates, 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,” he said.
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s (NRL’s) NIKE laser-target facility will shift its focus to support the Department of Defense’s nuclear priorities. Courtesy of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.
For decades, the NIKE facility and its scientific team have contributed to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s flagship laser program at the National Ignition Facility, which achieved ignition in late 2022. Through the work of its research team and a strategic partnership with the Air Force, NIKE’s capabilities are now being used to address the central science and technology needs of the DoD’s nuclear deterrence mission.
“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.
With China and Russia working to build similar excimer laser technologies, a recapitalization and reinvestment strategy is underway to secure NIKE’s future and support the revitalization of the U.S.’s nuclear deterrence capability.
“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,” said Joe Peñano, superintendent of NRL’s Plasma Physics division. “Its continued operation for the good of the nation remains our goal through its new focus.”