Lockheed delivers high-energy laser four years in the making to US Navy - Breaking Defense

Lockheed Martin today announced it delivered a high-energy laser destined for installation onboard warships to the US Navy, a significant milestone in advancing the technology past isolated testing and toward operational combat for the Pentagon.

The weapon system, formally called the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS), is a 60+ kW-class laser, and the initial contract to develop the weapon was awarded to Lockheed Martin in 2018.

“HELIOS enhances the overall combat system effectiveness of the ship to deter future threats and provide additional protection for sailors, and we understand we must provide scalable solutions customized to the Navy’s priorities,” Rick Cordaro, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s advanced product solutions, said in a statement today. “HELIOS represents a solid foundation for incremental delivery of robust and powerful laser weapon system capabilities.”

HELIOS, which can be scaled to 120kW, is one of several US Navy directed energy programs, all in different phases of the research and development process. While some of the service’s lasers have shown promise during isolated testing, the Navy accepting delivery of HELIOS is a sign the weapon has proven its worth and is ready for wider proliferation throughout the fleet.