patrick.net

U.S. Navy Deploys HELIOS Laser Weapon System Amid Rising Directed Energy Arms Race

DEWs aren't science fiction.




The U.S. Navy has now confirmed its deployment of the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system aboard the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Preble (DDG-88), bringing a 60-kilowatt directed energy weapon into active service.

According to the U.S. Center for Countermeasures (CCM), HELIOS has been tested against an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) target in a demonstration conducted on the USS Preble.

The newly released report states: “CCM supported the Navy’s demonstration on USS Preble (DDG 88) to verify and validate the functionality, performance, and capability of the HEL with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance system against an unmanned aerial vehicle target. CCM collected imagery of the engagements to support the evaluation of system performance,” per Defense Blog.

The U.S. Navy also released a new photograph showing the USS Preble firing the HELIOS laser into the sea, confirming the weapon’s operation.

The U.S. Navy also released a new photograph showing the USS Preble firing the HELIOS laser

I saw a demonstration video over a decade ago of a Navy ship born laser taking out a drone. The laser itself was invisible, and all one saw was the drone falling apart in flames like it was hit with a torch. In the 80's a friend of mine was a project manager on the "Airborne Laser Lab" where a modified KC-135 use a laser to take out a sparrow missile. Odd that the modern laser weapon has visible light.