The High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) is a 60 kW+ high energy laser designed to intercept aerial threats such as drones, missiles, and other airborne targets and even small boats. It was designed and manufactured by

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

, which was awarded a contract to design such a weapon in January 2018. In 2019, it was announced that it would be mounted on the USS Prebble (DDG-88).

Operation

The HELIOS system is meant to operate in many different ways, including long range Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR). Its main advantages are its nearly unlimited magazine, low cost to kill and the speed and precision of which it can intercept a target. The system works by firing a 60 kW fiber optic laser at the speed of light to melt or overheat the target. Although it was marketed as a 60 kW laser, it has routinely proven that it can fully operate above the 60 kW threshold, and is planned to be scaled to 120 kW in the future. It is believed that the 60-120 kW versions of the laser will be capable to take down anti-ship cruise missiles.

References

Military lasers Lockheed Martin Directed-energy weapons of the United States Military equipment introduced in the 2010s {{weapon-stub