US Navy’s new laser weapon ‘shoots down four drones’ in latest test

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy has successfully demonstrated a shipboard laser weapon that shot down four unmanned aerial vehicles during an at-sea exercise, marking a key milestone in efforts to field directed-energy defenses, the Navy and defense contractors said.

Last year, the guided-missile destroyer USS Preble used a High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance, or HELIOS, to engage and neutralize four drones during a counter-unmanned aircraft systems exercise at sea, Lockheed Martin officials disclosed this week. The demonstration was part of ongoing testing of new defensive technologies.

Lockheed Martin’s Chief Executive has praised the laser’s capabilities (Picture: Cover Images)

HELIOS, a roughly 60-kilowatt-class laser developed by Lockheed Martin and integrated with the ship’s combat systems, can both “dazzle” optical sensors and deliver destructive energy to airborne targets. The system is designed to augment traditional missile and gun defenses, offering a lower-cost, potentially sustained response to close-in threats.

“Speaking of amazing technology, we successfully used a shipboard laser system … to knock an incoming UAV right out of the sky,” Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet said during a quarterly earnings call. He added that the system’s ability to handle multiple threats could help conserve interceptor missiles for more advanced engagements.

The Preble, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, has been equipped with HELIOS since 2022, but previous public disclosures involved only single-target engagements. The recent multi-drone demonstration suggests progress in adapting laser systems for more complex threat environments.

The high-tech laser has large capabilities (Picture: Lockheed Martin)

Navy leaders have long pursued directed-energy weapons as a way to counter swarms of inexpensive drones and other unmanned threats without depleting costly missile inventories. Laser weapons, which rely on shipboard power and cooling rather than physical ammunition, could provide what officials describe as an “effectively unlimited magazine” so long as the ship can generate the necessary energy.

Despite the promise, challenges remain, including the need to refine targeting, range and weather effects, and to integrate lasers into broader fleet defenses. But service officials say continued testing brings the Navy closer to deploying the technology more widely.