USS Preble’s HELIOS laser zaps four drones in War Games Testing

Successful Demonstration of HELIOS Laser on USS Preble

The U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Preble successfully used its High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system to neutralize four drones during an at-sea demonstration last year, as revealed by Lockheed Martin.

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During a quarterly earnings call, Lockheed Martin’s CEO Jim Taiclet highlighted this achievement, emphasizing how the 60-kilowatt-class laser system downed incoming uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), showcasing its potential to counter drone threats while conserving traditional missiles for more advanced threats. Navy Vice Adm. Brendan McLane, commander of Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, echoed this enthusiasm at the Surface Navy Association symposium, noting successful at-sea testing on Preble last fall and committing to advancing laser technology toward equipping every ship. This builds on prior tests, including a 2024 milestone where Preble downed at least one drone, as documented in a Pentagon report.

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HELIOS System Capabilities and Navy Integration

HELIOS, designated Mk 5 Mod 0, is a directed energy weapon capable of destroying or damaging targets like drones and small boats, with a secondary dazzler function to blind optical sensors. Installed on USS Preble since 2022, it’s the only Navy ship currently equipped with this system, though other Arleigh Burke-class destroyers feature lower-powered Optical Dazzling Interdictor (ODIN) lasers. Lockheed Martin has discussed scaling HELIOS up to 150 kilowatts, and the Navy has experimented with other high-energy lasers on various vessels. The recent multi-target demo represents a step forward, evolving from single-drone tests and addressing real-world scenarios like large-volume drone swarms encountered in Red Sea operations, where threats include layered attacks with anti-ship missiles.

Strategic Benefits Amid Evolving Threats

Laser weapons like HELIOS provide unlimited magazine depth, relying on ship power and cooling rather than finite ammunition, which helps conserve costly missiles such as the $1 million RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile for optimized use against complex threats. This is crucial in remote areas where rearming is limited, as seen in Red Sea battles that highlighted risks of overwhelming traditional defenses with drones enhanced by AI and swarming tech. Compared to systems like the Mk 15 Phalanx with its short burst capacity or other shipboard guns, lasers offer cost-effective, sustained point defense, improving loadout optimization for offensive capabilities as drone and missile threats proliferate globally.

Challenges and Future Outlook for Navy Directed Energy Weapons

Despite progress, questions remain about HELIOS’ performance in the demonstration, including target engagement speed, range, and environmental factors like atmospheric distortion, weather, and power demands, which limit lasers to relatively short ranges and pose reliability issues in harsh maritime conditions. Navy leaders, including Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, express optimism, aiming for directed energy as the primary line-of-sight defense with infinite magazines, potentially scaling to megawatt-class lasers on future Trump-class “battleships.” However, Caudle and McLane have acknowledged past delays and “embarrassing” paces in development, reflecting broader military hurdles in fielding operational lasers across domains, though ongoing Preble tests signal continued commitment.