Naval Directed-Energy Weapons — No Longer A Future Weapon Concept

Directed–energy weapon (DEW) technologies typically take the form of HIGH ENERGY LASER (HELs), High-Power Microwave Surface (HPMs), and charged-particle beams. This article focuses on the first two technology areas, as they have reached the point of being ready for operational testing and evaluation, and in some cases, operational use on the battlefield. DEWs have been…

Raytheon’s Ship-Mounted Laser Weapon Incinerates a UAV in Flight

Raytheon revealed its next-gen directed energy weapon at the Farnborough Air Show, releasing video showing its Laser Weapons System (LaWS) — a six-laser weapon that focuses on a single target — engaging and then destroying an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) from the deck of a Navy vessel at sea. The tests conducted show the LaWS…