US Navy Laser Defense Not Ready for Primetime

The US Navy is locked in a laser-focused (no pun intended) fight, eagerly seeking to deploy powerful energy beams to defend its warships from missile attacks and drone swarms.

However, the path to this futuristic tech is riddled with obstacles, highlighting the challenges of translating science fiction into real-world defense capabilities.

‘No Commercially Available Lasers Powerful Enough’

At the heart of the struggle lies a fundamental problem: there’s simply no commercially available laser powerful enough to vaporize an incoming missile from afar.

Vice Admiral Brendan McLane, commander of US Navy Pacific surface warships, emphasizes this as the “No. 1 barrier,” according to Defense One’s report last week.

“I’m just frustrated that it’s taking so long, but that’s not due to lack of effort in trying,” said the commander of the Navy’s Pacific surface warships.

The Need for More Cost-Effective Defenses

The US Navy’s need for a more cost-effective and adaptable defense system than traditional interceptor missiles is undeniable.

The proliferation of cheap, deadly missiles and drones, as witnessed in recent attacks like the Red Sea campaign and the Israeli drone strike, underscores this urgency.

While the Navy has deployed prototype lasers and other directed-energy weapons for over a decade, their effectiveness is limited.

The US Navy is locked in a laser-focused (no pun intended) fight, eagerly seeking to deploy powerful energy beams to defend its warships from missile attacks and drone swarms.

However, the path to this futuristic tech is riddled with obstacles, highlighting the challenges of translating science fiction into real-world defense capabilities.

‘No Commercially Available Lasers Powerful Enough’

At the heart of the struggle lies a fundamental problem: there’s simply no commercially available laser powerful enough to vaporize an incoming missile from afar.

Vice Admiral Brendan McLane, commander of US Navy Pacific surface warships, emphasizes this as the “No. 1 barrier,” according to Defense One’s report last week.

“I’m just frustrated that it’s taking so long, but that’s not due to lack of effort in trying,” said the commander of the Navy’s Pacific surface warships.

The Need for More Cost-Effective Defenses

The US Navy’s need for a more cost-effective and adaptable defense system than traditional interceptor missiles is undeniable.

The proliferation of cheap, deadly missiles and drones, as witnessed in recent attacks like the Red Sea campaign and the Israeli drone strike, underscores this urgency.

While the Navy has deployed prototype lasers and other directed-energy weapons for over a decade, their effectiveness is limited.

The Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN), a current laser system, can only blind incoming threats, not destroy them.

Even the more powerful High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) has underperformed in testing.

New Prototypes in Development

There’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon, nonetheless.

The Navy is collaborating with Lockheed Martin to improve HELIOS’ capabilities, aiming to counter not only drones but also intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems.

#LLD #HELIOS (60kw) #DEIMOS (50kW) & #VALKYRIE (300kW) firmly establish Lockheed Martin as one of the world’s leading suppliers of Solid State-High Energy Laser WS. The company is also working on tactical airborne Laser systems for near-term testing with the US Air Force. pic.twitter.com/7PBnYXfidb

— AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD) (@AirPowerNEW1) July 9, 2023

Additionally, they’re developing even more powerful laser prototypes, including a 300-kilowatt laser specifically designed to counter anti-ship missiles and a high-powered microwave weapon called METEOR for broader area defense.

Despite these advancements, integrating these systems and formulating operational strategies remain significant hurdles.

The Pentagon’s chief buyer, William LaPlante, emphasized to reporters last Wednesday (August 7) the need to consider how lasers would work alongside existing defense mechanisms to create a layered defense system.

He cautions that lasers while promising, are not a one-size-fits-all solution.

“All these things have to be used together, and they all have limitations, and they all have sweet spots,” said LaPlante.

Overcoming Challenges and Building a Laser Shield

The Navy acknowledges these challenges but remains optimistic.

Within the next few years, the service plans to move beyond single-system testing on ships, paving the way for a layered defense approach.

In the meantime, the Navy is stuck using very expensive missiles to take down cheap drones, a scenario it desperately aims to rectify.

The video below shows the USS Portland (LPD-27) making history in 2020 as it successfully neutralizes a drone using a cutting-edge laser weapon system.

The development of laser weapon technology is a marathon, not a sprint.

While the Navy faces significant hurdles, its determination to forge a path toward a more robust and cost-effective defense system is undeniable. The success of these endeavors could revolutionize naval warfare, ushering in a new era of energy-based defense.

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