The United States Navy has been facing challenges in the development of laser weapon systems due to issues with energy transmission and other obstacles. Therefore, any incremental progress along this arduous path is highly anticipated.
At the end of 2024, the U.S. Navy conducted a successful test of its High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance system (HELIOS), marking the first test targeting airborne threats such as unmanned drones or cruise missiles. The test took place aboard the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88) with the aim of providing the fleet with broader directed energy weapon technology data. The Preble successfully shot down an unmanned drone during the test.
Details from the 2024 Operational Test and Evaluation Force Annual Report by the Department of Defense’s Operational Test and Evaluation Office (DOT&E) revealed that the U.S. Combatant Command (CCM) supported the Navy’s test by providing image support to assist in validating and confirming the HELIOS system’s capabilities against cruise missiles and unmanned drones.
However, the report lacked specific details regarding the test, including the location of the Preble during the experiment and the timing of the laser weapon’s activation. It is speculated that the test likely took place in the Western Pacific or nearby regions, given the Preble’s departure from the Naval Base San Diego in California in September 2024 and its arrival in Yokosuka, Japan on October 12, 2024.
An undated black-and-white photo depicting the moment of the U.S. Navy’s laser weapon experiment last year shows a bright “laser beam” emanating from the USS Preble destroyer towards an airborne target. This photo, released in January of this year, is part of the 2024 report by the Office of Operational Test and Evaluation, which offers weapon systems consultation to the Pentagon. It is said that the photo was taken by the Chinese Navy, indirectly indicating the test location’s proximity to the Chinese coastal area. This suggests the U.S. Navy’s inclination to enhance its operational capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly to counter potential high-end conflicts with China.
The live-fire test of the U.S. Navy’s High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance system against airborne targets marks a breakthrough in the HELIOS program, providing support for other directed energy weapon system initiatives. The Navy plans to continue testing HELIOS on the Preble in 2025.
The HELIOS weapon test is part of the U.S. Navy’s larger laser weapon family, developed by three different agencies to advance the technical maturity of laser weapon systems for Navy ships, focusing on power, energy efficiency, and beam quality improvement.
The U.S. Navy’s laser weapon program consists of two parts. One is the Navy’s Laser Family of Systems (NLFoS), consisting of the first-phase Navy High Energy Laser Weapon System and Optical-dazzler Interdictor developed by the Navy’s Surface Warfare division (N96). The other part is the Solid-State Laser Technology Maturation Program (SSL-TM) and the Resilient High Energy Laser (RHEL) technology managed by the Navy’s Innovation, Technology, and Testing and Evaluation division (N94).
The overall High Energy Laser Systems Initiative (HELSI) for the U.S. Military, managed by the Pentagon’s Research and Engineering department, aims to increase laser power while enhancing the energy efficiency and beam quality within effective range for laser weapons.
The Navy has completed the Solid-State Laser Technology Maturation Program and installed the prototype system on the USS Portland (LPD 27) in the fourth quarter of 2024. This technology has been transferred to the Navy’s High Energy Laser Counter Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Program (HELCAP), offering decision support for the Navy’s High Energy Laser Counter Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Program, ultimately providing a laser weapon platform exceeding 300 kilowatts of power.
The High Energy Laser Weapon project to counter anti-ship cruise missiles will address unresolved technical challenges, accelerating the development, experimentation, integration, and demonstration of key technologies to defeat anti-ship cruise missiles using laser weapons. This project will further support decision-making for the Navy’s Laser Weapon Testing platform.
In the future, the U.S. Navy’s directed energy laser weapon systems will involve Optical-dazzler Interdictors, High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance systems, and Laser Weapon Testing platforms for experimentation and technology maturation. Currently, eight IIA-class Arleigh Burke destroyers (DDGs) have installed Optical-dazzler Interdictors, with one Arleigh Burke destroyer equipped with the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance system.
The HELIOS system developed by Lockheed Martin is a laser weapon designed to counter Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIAC) and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), with limited public knowledge on its technical details. The current state of the system integrates a 60-kilowatt high-energy laser with Optical-dazzler and Surveillance capabilities.
Lockheed Martin announced the development of the HELIOS system four years ago, boasting features such as unlimited magazine capacity, low per-shot cost, rapid firing speed, and high accuracy. The description of the HELIOS system by Lockheed Martin covers all the key points that spark interest in laser weapon systems. The system can destroy manned/unmanned aircraft, missiles, and ships through high-temperature or melting means. It can not only destroy fixed or moving targets within visual range with high-energy lasers but also disrupt an opponent’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance sensor systems. In essence, while defending against an opponent’s attacks, it can also disrupt their intelligence, communications, and control capabilities.
Earlier last year, the United Kingdom successfully tested its high-power laser weapon called “DragonFire.” The UK Ministry of Defence stated in a January 2024 press release that this line-of-sight weapon can target visible threats with precision equivalent to hitting a coin from one kilometer away. The press release further explained that laser weapons can cut targets at the speed of light, leading to structural damage or more severe effects by irradiating warheads. The cost of firing for 10 seconds is equivalent to an ordinary heater running for one hour. Therefore, it has the potential to become a low-cost alternative to conventional missiles under certain conditions, with each shot costing less than £10.
British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps stated in a release that this cutting-edge weapon could potentially revolutionize the battlefield by reducing dependency on expensive ammunition and minimizing collateral damage risks.
In conclusion, the tests conducted by the U.S. and UK illustrate that the development of laser weapons is breaking free from long-standing technological constraints and heading towards practical combat applications, representing a significant shift in modern warfare strategies.