The US Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in a joint exercise with the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren division has successfully tested the surface navy laser weapon system (LaWS).
As part of the testing, threat-representative unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) were destroyed at the Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, California.
The members of NAVSEA’s directed energy and electric weapon systems (DE&EWS) programme office and NSWC Dahlgren have tracked, engaged and destroyed a total of five targets by firing a laser through a beam director on a KINETO tracking mount.
The first threat-representative UAV was destroyed in flight on 7 June 2009 and then two on 9 June, with two more on 11 June.
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By GlobalDataThe series of tests for destroying the UAVs in flight used the prototype version of the surface navy LaWS.
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The programme manager David Kiel said that additional development and integration of more powerful lasers into surface navy LaWS will step-up the engagement range and target sets that can be successfully engaged and destroyed.
The implementation of recent advances in commercial welding made the deployment of laser-based defence system onboard naval vessels a realistic possibility.
The DE&EWS is developing laser weapon technology for operational use which provides speed-of-light engagements at tactically significant ranges minimising the use of defensive missiles and projectiles.
