The US Navy (-> current news about the US armed forces) published the first image of the HELIOS high-energy laser being fired on Monday. The image was taken by Lockheed Martin is to be used in the future to defend against drones, speedboats and missiles.
The “High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Aperture and Surveillance” was installed on the destroyer “USS Preble” (DDG-88) in 2019 as part of the Aegis Combat System. Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract for the Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS) Increment 1 – known as HELIOS – in January 2018 and describes it as a fully integrated weapon system.
In 2020, Lockheed Martin successfully completed the Critical Design Review and Navy Factory Qualification Test milestones. These tests confirmed the value of rigorous systems engineering and proven Aegis integration and test processes. During factory testing in Moorestown, New Jersey, HELIOS routinely demonstrated a full power output of over 60 kW. Its scalable laser architecture spectrally combines multiple kilowatt fiber lasers to achieve high beam quality at variable power levels.
In addition to its direct combat function, HELIOS offers multi-purpose capabilities such as reconnaissance and surveillance over long distances as well as blinding unmanned aerial systems to defend against potential threats. The biggest advantage of laser weapons is their virtually unlimited “ammunition” and the low cost per shot compared to conventional air defense systems.
In recent tests, HELIOS successfully hit a drone – a further step in the development of future-proof defense technologies.
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