According to foreign media reports, the uss prebel missile destroyer in Pearl Harbor will become the first active warship equipped with high-energy lasaer pointer weapons in the us navy.
In may, the us congressional research service reported that the us navy had made “substantial progress” in shipboard laser weapons, which, once developed and deployed, would be a “game-changer” for us navy ships to intercept enemy missiles.
Brandon Hilton, HELIOS program director, points out that future high-energy laser weapons will not need additional batteries on board, but will continue to rely on the power systems of warships. The power design for the HELIOS system has been reviewed and the prototype is scheduled to be completed around June next year. This means that once the HELIOS technology matures, ships can be deployed quickly and in large Numbers without the need for large-scale modifications.
Lockheed Martin says current tests have shown that a 10-kilowatt high-energy laser system can beat small airborne targets at the speed of light. Power increases to 30 KWH, enough to disable an incoming missile warhead.
With the further development of technology, high-energy lasers will undertake the most complex sea-based anti-missile missions, thus saving expensive anti-missile interceptors.