Image captures US Navy testing its new laser weapon: What to know about HELIOS
Image captures US Navy testing its new laser weapon: What to know about HELIOS
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An incredible image buried deep in an annual military report released last month shows the U.S. Navy test-firing a high-powered laser weapon at a drone target from one of its warships.
The photo of the laser weapon in action was published in in January as part of a 2024 report released by the Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation, which advises the Department of Defense on weapons systems.
The undated image shows the U.S. Navy testing a weapon system known as HELIOS from the USS Preble destroyer in the middle of the ocean. The demo was 'to verify and validate the functionality, performance, and capability" of the laser weapon against an uncrewed aerial vehicle target, the report stated.
The U.S. Center for Countermeasures was responsible for collecting imagery of the test.
The report was short on specific details about the test, neglecting to specify where the warship was station at the time of the test or when the laser weapon was fired.
What is the HELIOS weapon?
The High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) is a weapon system developed by Lockheed Martin capable of engaging targets at the speed of light.
The system can destroy drones, watercraft and missiles by either melting or overheating them. The weapon not only can use a high-energy laser to destroy targets, but is designed to disrupt intelligence-gathering efforts and reconnaissance sensors from adversaries.
The Navy plans to continue testing HELIO in 2025 from the Preble, according to Naval News who first reported on the test. According to the annual report, the Department of Defense would also require new specialized test and training ranges to continue testing HELIOS.
United Kingdom also tested laser weapons
The United Kingdom has also been developing its own laser-based defense system.
Last year, the U.K. successfully tested its own high-powered laser weapon, DragonFire, against aerial targets.
The range of DragonFire is classified, but the U.K. Ministry of Defence said in a press release in January 2024 that the line-of-sight weapon can engage with any visible target with precision equivalent of hitting a coin from a kilometer away.
"This type of cutting-edge weaponry has the potential to revolutionize the battlespace by reducing the reliance on expensive ammunition, while also lowering the risk of collateral damage," U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapp said in a statement at the time.
How do laser-based weapons work?
Taken together, the U.S. and U.K. tests signal a growing global interest in laser-based weaponry, representing a major shift in modern warfare tactics.
Laser-directed energy weapons can engage targets at the speed of light, using an intense beam of light to cut through targets.
What's more, the weapons systems are low-cost alternatives to traditional weaponry. Firing such a weapon it for 10 seconds is the cost equivalent of using a regular heater for just an hour, according to the UK military.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
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