US Navy can laser-tag targets with Badahbing! precision

Let's say Iran tries to swarm one of our Navy ships with small attack boats armed with guns and explosives, pulling up alongside our vessel. The ship's commander would weigh defense options including interceptor missiles, electronic warfare, deck-guns or Close-in-Weapons System.

That was five minutes ago.

Now, attacks such as those mounted by Iran, for example, will also be countered with laser weapons bringing new dimensions to maritime warfare on the open sea.

Dzzzzzzt!

Okay, lasers don't really make sounds but that would be how the movies would play it out.

By 2021, U.S. Navy destroyers will be armed with new ship-fired lasers able to sense and freaking incinerate enemy drones, low-flying aircraft and small boat attacks -- all while firing at the speed of light, which is 186,282 miles per second for you physics nerds.

Lockheed Martin and the US Navy have been working on ground attack tests against mock enemy targets to prepare high-energy lasers for war. This is taking modern weaponry to a new level.

The weapon, called High-Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-Dazzler with Surveillance - or HELIOS - is engineered to surveil, track and destroy targets from an integrated ship system consisting of advanced radar, fire control technology and targeting sensors.

Working with the Navy, Lockheed has recently completed its Systems Design Review for HELIOS, a process which examines weapon requirements and prepares subsystems and designs. The intent is to engineer an integrated tactical laser system able to receive “real time operating feedback well in advance, before the system hits the ship,” said Brendan Scanlon, HELIOS Program Director, Lockheed.

The farther away an incoming attack can be detected, the more time commanders  obviously have to make time-sensitive combat decisions regarding a possible response. Therefore, having one system that synthesizes sensing and shooting changes the equation for maritime warfare.

Connecting HELIOS’ fire control with ship-based Aegis Radar, used for missile defense, enables a combined system to gather surveillance data from the radar while preparing to destroy the targets.


“Sensors provide cues to laser weapons, with the Aegis operator in the loop. You can use optical sensors to decide what else you are going to do, because the weapon tracks between Aegis and the laser subsystem,” Scanlon added.

What's cool about this system is that it has the ability to "obscure adversaries optical sensors" and thus can throw incoming drone, helicopter and anti-ship missiles off course, endangering only unfortunate fish.

If you enjoyed this post, consider following my blog, but even if you choose not to do so, please check out the sponsors on this page.

Tweet