April 28, 2008, Tucson, AZ--Applied Energetics has been awarded a $4.5 million sole source contract from the U.S. Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command (ARDEC; Picatinny, NJ) for the development and advancement of the company's laser-guided energy (LGE) technology.

Applied Energetics Chairman, President, and CEO Dana Marshall says the ARDEC contract is a notable milestone for the company. "We thank the Army for their efforts and assistance in moving this program forward. This contract, which is funded through the Army's RDT&E budget, signifies the commitment by the Army to complete the core technology development for LGE, and will bring us to the follow-on phases of demonstration system engineering."

According to the company, LGE is a transformational weapon technology by which a controllable high-voltage electric charge can be precisely guided by a laser through the atmosphere to induce a range of controllable effects against a variety of potential military and security targets. LGE has been a central proprietary technology for Applied Energetics since the company was founded in 2002. The company has more than 30 patent filings relating to the technology and its applications, with four patents awarded and 29 patent applications in process.

"The U.S. Army has followed the development of LGE for the past four years," says Ben Lagasca, Chief of the Advanced Energy Armaments Division at U.S. Army ARDEC. "Now that the technology is approaching a level of maturity needed to consider weaponization we will be more closely coordinated with Applied Energetics through this contract to bring the technology to full maturity to fulfill Army mission needs."