U.S. Army using battlefield lasers

After decades of research and development, the U.S. military is officially using laser weapons in combat zones overseas

PALLETISED HIGH ENERGY LASER (P-HEL)

Deployed since 2022, has shot down multiple attacking drones in Middle East

Weapon can be used for fixed-site defence or truck-mounted


Laser array

Directed energy: Intense beam of light cuts through target in seconds, knocking it from the sky

Laser can fire off virtually infinite number of shots at speed of light as long as power source is available


Weapon features BlueHalo Locust solid-state laser with target-tracking radar 
Weight: 1,500kg Output power
20 kilowatts

User-friendly interface
Operator uses Xbox controller to lock onto and destroy targets

Average laser weapon cost
Typically less than $10 per shot – far cheaper that conventional air defence munitions. For example, U.S. Navy Standard Missile 2 costs more than $2 million

Pallet-mounted for ease of deployment


Sources: BlueHalo, Military Advantage, Popular Mechanics
Picture: BlueHalo 
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