The speck was a drone, the weapon a high‑energy laser. In a recent at‑sea trial, the US Navy used this system to track, blind, and ultimately burn through multiple unmanned aircraft, trading expensive missiles for pulses of concentrated light.
A laser cannon that fits on a destroyer
The centrepiece of the trial is called HELIOS, short for High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance. It is installed on the USS Preble, an Arleigh Burke–class guided-missile destroyer equipped with the Aegis combat system.
HELIOS delivers around 60 kilowatts of power. That is not enough to slice a jet in half, but it is more than sufficient to disable or destroy small drones and other light targets at tactically useful ranges.
The same beam can quietly blind sensors or, when needed, physically burn through a drone’s structure in a matter of seconds.
During the demonstration, which took place at sea last year and has only recently been detailed by industry and defence sources, HELIOS engaged several incoming aerial targets, including four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Navy treated the event as a “counter‑UAS” exercise: a test of how well a shipboard laser could handle swarms or repeated drone threats without depleting expensive magazines of missiles.
Soft kill and hard kill in one system
The laser offers two main ways of neutralising a drone:
- Soft kill: low‑power settings dazzle or blind electro‑optical sensors, making the drone effectively “blind” without destroying it.
- Hard kill: sustained, higher‑power beams heat the airframe or key components until something fails, causing loss of control or break‑up.
Because the laser is tightly integrated into the Aegis combat system, HELIOS can share radar tracks, target data and engagement priorities with the ship’s wider suite of weapons. That allows the crew to decide, in real time, whether a threat is worth a missile, a burst of gunfire, or a fraction of a second of laser energy.
Each laser “shot” costs little more than the fuel or electricity needed to power it, in stark contrast to missiles that can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece.
Lockheed Martin’s role and the push for directed energy
US defence contractor Lockheed Martin developed HELIOS and provided technical support for the demonstration. Chief executive Jim Taiclet has been keen to frame the test not just as a one‑off feat, but as a major step toward operational directed‑energy weapons at sea.
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Behind the scenes, several organisations have helped knit this system into the broader US homeland and national defence posture. Lockheed Martin’s Centre for Innovation in Virginia has acted as a hub for command‑and‑control experiments, simulations and joint trials with the military.
The project also connects with wider initiatives, including homeland defence missions and the so‑called “Golden Dome for America” effort, which aims to build layered protection over key US assets. While the Navy focuses on maritime operations, these programmes feed into shared research on sensors, networking and threat response.
Why lasers appeal to modern navies
Lasers still face technical limits, but they tick several boxes for planners under pressure from new threats and tight budgets. A rough comparison highlights why HELIOS matters:
| Feature | Laser (HELIOS) | Missile defence |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per shot | Very low (electricity, maintenance) | High (tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars) |
| Magazine depth | Limited mainly by ship’s power generation | Limited by physical missile stocks on board |
| Response time | Near‑instant, speed of light | Seconds to launch and fly to target |
| Best targets | Drones, small boats, light aircraft, sensors | Aircraft, missiles, larger and distant targets |
As potential adversaries invest in cheap drones and loitering munitions, navies fear being forced to fire premium missiles at bargain‑basement threats. A ship with a working laser can reserve its missile cells for cruise missiles, ballistic missiles or crewed aircraft, while handling small UAVs with directed energy.
How a 60 kW beam brings down a drone
The physics of a shipboard laser are less science fiction than they sound. HELIOS uses a solid‑state laser design, combining beams from multiple fibre lasers into a single, more powerful beam. The ship’s generators feed massive amounts of electrical power into this system, which converts it into concentrated light and directs it through a precision optical turret.
When that beam stays on the same spot of a drone for long enough, several things can happen. A sensor can overheat. A wing spar can weaken. A control surface can deform. The drone may not explode, but it becomes unflyable.
Think of it as a blowtorch made of light, held perfectly steady at ranges where bullets and shrapnel struggle to reach.
Weather still matters. Heavy fog, thick rain or dense aerosols can scatter the beam, reducing its effect. Turbulent air and dust can also cause problems. That is one reason HELIOS is being tested in real maritime conditions, not just on test ranges.
Scenarios the Navy is already thinking about
Defence planners like to imagine worst‑case scenarios, and lasers now feature heavily in those wargames. A few likely situations include:
- Drone swarms: dozens of small, cheap drones rushing a ship to overwhelm traditional defences. A laser can switch between targets rapidly, firing as long as the power holds.
- Spy drones: slow, sensor‑heavy UAVs loitering near a carrier group. Helios can quietly blind their cameras without creating debris or an obvious explosion.
- Small boat threats: fast attack craft or unmanned surface vessels. While the current power level is optimised for drones, future upgrades could threaten boats by targeting fuel tanks or key electronics.
In practice, a captain might use the laser first, then escalate to guns or missiles if the threat persists or grows. That layered approach keeps more options on the table and reduces the risk of running out of conventional munitions during a prolonged crisis.
Risks, limits and what comes next
Directed‑energy weapons raise a number of questions. There are legal and ethical debates around permanently blinding sensors or pilots. There are safety concerns about stray beams, reflections off water or unintended damage to civilian aircraft or satellites.
Technically, scaling beyond 60 kW is not trivial. Higher power means more waste heat, more strain on shipboard power systems, and more complex cooling. Ships built decades ago were not designed with megawatt‑class lasers in mind, so engineers must juggle space, weight and energy demands.
At the same time, the benefits are hard for militaries to ignore: low per‑shot cost, deep “magazines”, and instant engagement at the speed of light. That mix almost guarantees continued funding, not only in the US but in rival powers looking at similar systems.
Key terms that help make sense of the story
Several bits of jargon sit in the background of this trial:
- Aegis combat system: the integrated radar, command and weapons system that manages threats on many US and allied warships. HELIOS plugs directly into this network.
- Directed‑energy weapon: a weapon that delivers energy (like a laser or microwave beam) directly to a target, instead of using a physical projectile.
- Counter‑UAS: short for “counter‑unmanned aircraft systems”, a broad term for technologies that detect, track and stop drones.
Put together, HELIOS on the USS Preble signals a shift from concept to practice. Lasers are no longer just lab projects or demonstrations on test ranges. They are beginning to stand watch on the same decks as missiles and guns, changing how navies think about the next wave of threats.