Latest news with #USSPreble
Reuters
17-02-2025
- Science
- Reuters
Fact Check: Video artificially generated from photo does not show Navy laser weapon deployment
An AI-generated video, based on an official photograph, showing the U.S. Navy testing a directed energy weapon from a naval ship has been shared on social media as if the footage is real. A Navy spokesperson said it has not released any videos showing the testing of the laser, which has not been permanently deployed on ships. The caption, opens new tab of one of the social media posts sharing the five-second clip states: 'NEW: The US Navy released a new video of USS Preble (DDG-88) firing her HELIOS laser weapon.' The caption also said the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, opens new tab is the first Navy vessel to be equipped with HELIOS. HELIOS, or high energy laser with integrated optical-dazzler and surveillance, is a type of directed energy weapon manufactured by Lockheed Martin and delivered, opens new tab to the U.S. Navy in 2022. The defense contractor said the naval laser weapon is the 'first tactically integrated laser weapon system, with both dazzle and destroy, opens new tab capability, fielded to the U.S. Department of Defense.' But the video shared on social media is an AI creation based on a photo. The video was first posted, opens new tab online on February 3 by an X account whose bio says ' Exploring tech / AI / content creation, opens new tab.' The account : 'Note, this vid is AI video interpretation of the laser in action (based on the still image).' The original image can be found, opens new tab in the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E)'s annual report, opens new tab for the fiscal year 2024 (page 385). The DOT&E advises the secretary of defense on operational and live fire tests, and the evaluation of Pentagon systems. It said USS Preble successfully fired its HELIOS system against an aerial drone during a test exercise at an unspecified date and location (page 388). A Navy spokesperson told Reuters in an email that the image was taken during a test in late summer 2023, adding, 'the U.S. Navy has not released any videos of High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system demonstration on USS Preble (DDG 88).' The weapon is still being tested and evaluated and has not been permanently deployed on ships, the spokesperson added. No other photos of HELIOS are available in the DOT&E annual report, and there is no evidence of videos showing the system released by the DOT&E or the Department of Defense. A spokesperson for DOT&E did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters previously addressed false narratives linking wildfires to directed energy weapons. VERDICT False. The video is AI-generated, based on an official photo, and does not show a U.S. Navy laser weapon being deployed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
US zaps drone using powerful laser weapon with 5-mile range in secret tests
The United States Navy (the Navy) has reported testing its High-Energy Laser with an Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system to take out an aerial target drone. The test was conducted onboard the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Preble and occurred at an undisclosed location in 2024. According to the Navy, the test was conducted 'to verify and validate the functionality, performance and capability' of HELIOS. It is also a critical stepping stone to operationalizing these high-tech futuristic weapon systems, which reportedly have a maximum power output of 150 kW. Little other information has been publically released, but it is known that the ship was relocated from San Diego to Japan in September of 2024. HELIOS, a 60-kW directed-energy weapons platform, was installed aboard the Preble in 2022. The weapon has replaced one of Preble's pair of Mk 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) just in front of the bridge. Beyond its high-energy blasting abilities, the weapon is also a "dazzler" to blind and confuse optical-seeking missiles and drones. It also has a set of powerful optical sensors that can serve a secondary intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) role. HELIOS is designed to engage, destroy, or turn off aerial targets like drones or small boats (both manned and unnamed). The weapon allegedly has a maximum range of 5 miles (8 km), but environmental factors and atmospheric interference influence the range. However, the upside is that shooting it is relatively cheap, with each blast costing pennies in electricity. This is a rounding error compared to the guided-missile destroyers' other situations, especially its stockpile of missiles. According to The War Zone (TWZ), HELIOS has already been integrated into the Navy's Aegis Combat System, dramatically improving its utility. "We're continuously upgrading the multi-source integration infusion capability of the Aegis weapon system and looking to bring in new weapons and sensors and coordinate hard kill and soft kill," said Rich Calabrese, director of Surface Navy Mission Systems at Lockheed Martin, told TWZ. "We're already integrating the HELIOS Laser Weapon System with the Aegis Weapon System CSL [Common Source Library] in our lab here in New Jersey. In fact, we've … The guy who's now managing the laser program … He let me know the other day that we recently fired a laser here under the control of the Aegis Weapon System computer program," he added. Lockheed Martin was first contracted to develop HELIOS in 2018, and beyond the Preble is expected to install another system on one of Preble's sisters in the not-too-distant future. Despite technological progress, such as the most recent test, such systems are limited. They can only shoot a single target at a time and have power and thermal limitations that prevent continuous fire like a projectile weapon. To this end, many see them as low-volume point-defense systems for the foreseeable future until such limitations can be overcome. However, other innovations, like linking them to independent renewable power sources, would make them valuable additions to a warship's arsenal. 'These things are based on renewable energy so that I can recharge the system … I don't have to worry about payload [or] volume with directed energy. All those things appeal to a navy, [but] we just haven't matriculated that into a place … that's ready for prime time,' U.S. Fleet Forces Command head Admiral Daryl Caudle told Breaking Defense.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
U.S. Navy intercepted test drone with HELIOS directed-energy weapon
Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy has developed a directed-energy weapon that can intercept unmanned drones and possibly cruise missiles while enhancing naval operations in combat areas. The weapons is the high-energy laser with integrated optical dazzler and surveillance, more popularly known as HELIOS, and the Navy successfully test-fired the system last year and has more tests planned in 2025. The HELIOS system is a type of direct-energy weapon, which the Navy confirmed is a viable weapon for intercepting aerial targets that might endanger U.S. Navy ships and other targets. U.S. Navy personnel aboard the destroyer USS Preble at an unknown time and location affirmed the HELIOS system works during demonstration intended to "verify and validate the functionality, performance and capability" of the system "against an unmanned aerial vehicle target," the Department of Defense's 498-page 2024 Operational Test & Evaluation report says on page 388. The U.S. military's Center for Countermeasures supported the test and collected images that support and validate the HELIOS as a viable countermeasure against low-cost drones and other weapons. Engineers at Lockheed Martin developed the HELIOS directed-energy weapon that uses a 60-kilowatt laser that can blind the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors mounted on drones, Newsweek reported. The laser weapon fires concentrated energy that travels at the speed of light with potentially limitless firepower at a cost that is much lower than when firing a conventional weapon, such as a missile, at a relatively low-cost drone. HELIOS also can provide the Navy with long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability to identify potential combat targets and assess battle damage. The Navy's 2025 budget includes funding for testing the HELIOS system against a cruise missile, Naval News reported. Lockheed Martin developed the HELIOS system that might be added to Japan-based U.S. Navy destroyers to counter Chinese military drones deployed in the East China Sea. The USS Preble recently was deployed to Japan. "Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy share a common vision and enthusiasm for developing and providing disruptive laser weapon systems," said Rick Cordaro, vice president of Lockheed Martin Advanced Product Solutions in an August 2022 press release. "HELIOS enhances the overall combat system effectiveness of the ship to deter future threats and provide additional protection for Sailors, and we understand we must provide scalable solutions customized to the Navy's priorities," Cordaro said. "HELIOS represents a solid foundation for incremental delivery of robust and powerful laser weapon system capabilities." Lockheed Martin officials say the HELIOS is the first tactical laser weapon system integrated into existing ships and provides U.S. Navy fleet activities with directed-energy war-fighting capabilities. The multi-mission HELIOS system also supports a layered defense architecture with its low cost-per-kill and speed-of-light delivery and precision-response capability, according to Lockheed Martin.
USA Today
05-02-2025
- Science
- USA Today
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 Show Caption Hide Caption Not everyone will get to use DeepSeek AI, why the US Navy is banning it The U.S. Navy has confirmed it has banned its members from using, downloading or installing China's DeepSeek AI app over security concerns. Straight Arrow News 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@
Al Bawaba
05-02-2025
- Science
- Al Bawaba
Photo of US Navy firing off laser weapon causes a stir
Published February 5th, 2025 - 11:13 GMT ALBAWABA - A picture showing the newly developed US Navy with a laser weapon has caused a buzz on social media with people crazy to discover more about the "drone destroyer". The photo of the US Navy laser weapon, identified as HELIOS, was posted first via the US Center for Countermeasures' annual report and quickly became widely circulating online. HELIOS was developed for the US by Lockheed Martin and it uses a 60 kW high-energy laser that can destroy objects in a matter of seconds. In the footage, the warfighting laser technology was seen coming out of the USS Preble destroyer in the middle of the ocean. The US Navy released a clip of the USS Preble firing a HELIOS laser weapon. The High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance will be used primarily to counter — Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) February 3, 2025 The picture was shared "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," the report revealed. The United States in fact was not the only country to test a laser weapon, last year, the UK tested a locally developed high-powered laser weapon, known as DragonFire, and attacked an aerial object. Many comments emerged on social media where a few people said the laser weapon looked like coming out of a "Star Wars movie". A person said: "Who are they preparing to fight Godzilla?" Another wrote: "i'd be interested in knowing how it can handle 100 drones all at once." © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
