Incredible Pic Of US Navy’s High-Powered Laser Weapon ‘HELIOS’ Surfaces Online

An unimaginable photograph displaying the US Navy firing off a drone-destroying laser weapon – referred to as HELIOS – from one in every of its warships goes viral on social media. The undated picture was printed within the US Middle for Countermeasures’ annual report. It captured the warfighting laser know-how being fired from the USS Preble destroyer in the course of the ocean. The demo aimed “to confirm and validate the performance, efficiency, and functionality of the HEL with Built-in Optical Dazzler and Surveillance system in opposition to an unmanned aerial car goal,” the report acknowledged, as per the New York Submit. 

No different particulars concerning the division’s take a look at and analysis have been launched. In response to the Submit, the take a look at follows the UK’s profitable take a look at of its personal laser weapon, DragonFire, in opposition to aerial targets final yr.

All About HELIOS 

The HELIOS (Excessive Vitality Laser with Built-in Optical Dazzler and Surveillance), developed for the US by Lockheed Martin, makes use of a 60-kilowatt high-energy laser that may interact targets on the pace of sunshine. In response to The Defence Submit, one in every of its most uncommon options is its layered defence strategy, enabling each laborious and delicate kills of hostile threats. Whereas laborious kill means the weapon can bodily destroy its targets, delicate kill permits it to disrupt the digital elements of hostile threats to disable contact with their operators. 

“The HELIOS system’s deep journal, low price per kill, pace of sunshine supply, and precision response allow it to handle fleet wants now,” Lockheed defined. “And its mature, scalable structure helps elevated laser energy ranges to counter extra threats sooner or later,” it added.

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In the meantime, a number of international locations, together with the UK, South Korea, Israel, Turkey, Germany and Japan have additionally developed laser weapons. Final yr, South Korea introduced it will quickly begin mass-producing laser weapons like these within the ‘Star Wars’ franchise to shoot down North Korean drones. South Korea named its laser program the “StarWars Venture”. The nation’s DAPA, which handles defence procurement, growth and manufacturing, introduced a 100 billion received contract to construct the drone-killing weapon. It touted the weapon as efficient and low cost and revealed that the laser is quiet and invisible, and one shot prices solely 2,000 received.

The identical yr, the UK’s Ministry of Defence additionally examined a laser weapon, DragonFire, which reportedly destroyed incoming drones from a number of miles away throughout a trial. With this, the ministry hopes that it’s going to pave the best way for a low-cost various to missiles to shoot down targets like drones. It additional mentioned that the weapon is exact sufficient to hit a coin from a kilometre away. 

DragonFire can be used each by the Military and the Royal Navy as a part of their future air defence capabilities.