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The US military has released details surrounding the trial of a new naval laser system against unmanned targets.
The HELIOS LWS, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, was trialled aboard Arleigh Burke Class destroyer USS Preble, according to new details from the FY2024 Annual Report for the Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation.
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The surface Navy laser weapon system is designed to provide layered defence, dazzle airborne threats, defeat unmanned aerial systems and fast inshore attack craft, using available ship power without the need for an energy magazine.
“Center for Countermeasures (CCM) supported the Navy’s demonstration on USS Preble to verify and validate the functionality, performance and capability of the HEL with integrated optical dazzler and surveillance system against an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) target,” the report said.
“CCM collected imagery of the engagements to support the evaluation of system performance.
“CCM operates and deploys mobile testing instrumentation capable of simulating an array of threats to measure and evaluate the operational effectiveness of CMs employed by DoD and foreign weapon systems.
“The portability of CCM test tools and personnel provide the test agility and efficiency required by DoD to develop and field critical CMs at operationally relevant speeds, minimising the logistical burden on each program office and preserving schedules and resources.”
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