According to foreign media reports, Sparkle Optics received a three-phase Small Business Innovation Development Program (SBIR) grant from HEL-JTO in 2012 to develop, optimize and test Spark Disc Optics based on a rotating disc laser RDL) technology for lighting lasers. The contract is regulated by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The illumination laser is used to measure adaptive optical systems in directional energy (DE) applications. Through continuous research and development, Sparkle Optics designed and developed an RDL illumination laser with an average output power of 250 W and 1 kW. The 250 W RDL has been installed and operationalized at the US Marine Corps High Energy Laser Systems test site (HELSTF). Sparkle Optics believes RDL technology can ultimately produce output powers greater than 100 kW with good beam quality (near diffraction limit). Lighting lasers play a crucial role in laser-based missile defense systems, and the JTO SBIR Phase III contract with Sparkle Optics allows Defense to source these lasers from small businesses. Sparkle Optics has developed an innovative laser technology for defense applications while also providing high-tech jobs for the private sector. This is a success story for HEL-JTO, defense projects, SBIR processes and small businesses. In January 2016, Sparkle Optics delivered a 1030 nm Directed Laser (BILL) to the Army's HELSTF facility. The laser achieves 250 W with 600 W of available diode pumping power. The laser is capable of surpassing fiber lasers in single-mode CW operation for high-energy laser applications; its rotating disc lasers operate at many useful wavelengths with beam quality approaching the diffraction limit. Rotatable disc lasers are reliable and low cost due to the absence of thermal bias and mode size limitations. In addition, because the laser is modular, it can be replaced individually if any of the components fails, without having to replace the entire laser system.