Navy Arms Destroyers With New High-Powered Laser - Changes War Tactics

[rangerrebew]

Navy Arms Destroyers With New High-Powered Laser - Changes War Tactics
 

By Kris Osborn - Warrior Maven

(Washington, D.C.) If swarms of enemy small attack boats armed with guns and explosives approached a Navy ship, alongside missile-armed drones and helicopters closing into strike range, ship commanders would instantly begin weighing defensive options - to include interceptor missiles, electronic warfare, deck-mounted guns or area weapons such as Close-in-Weapons System.

Now, attacks such as these will also be countered with laser weapons being added to the equation, bringing new dimensions to maritime warfare on the open sea.

By 2021, U.S. Navy destroyers will be armed with new ship-fired lasers able to sense and incinerate enemy drones, low-flying aircraft and small boat attacks -- all while firing at the speed of light.

https://defensemaven.io/warriormaven/sea/navy-arms-destroyers-with-new-high-powered-laser-changes-war-tactics-dse57gmuvUK5dJBGtPKJ4w/

[Elderberry]

One lucky destroyer crew will officially be the first to rock the Navy's newest laser weapon

Task & Purpose by William Cole 5/28/2019

https://taskandpurpose.com/uss-preble-laser-weapon-system

The Pearl Harbor-based USS Preble will be the first destroyer to be equipped with a high-energy laser to counter surface craft and unmanned aerial systems, according to a published report, with the Navy planning to one day use the powerful light beams to defend against Chinese or Russian cruise missiles.

The Congressional Research Service said in a May report that the Navy is developing three new ship-based weapons: solid-state lasers, an electromagnetic railgun and a gun-launched guided projectile that "could substantially improve" the ability of Navy surface ships to defend against surface craft, unmanned aerial vehicles and, eventually, anti-ship cruise missiles.

The HELIOS effort is focused on rapidly fielding a 60-kilowatt high-energy laser with "growth potential" to 150 kilowatts.

Lockheed Martin said it demonstrated that a 10-kilowatt system can defeat small airborne targets with the "speed of light" capability and that a 30-kilowatt system had disabled a stationary truck target.

The Navy previously tested a 30-kilowatt laser in 2017 aboard the afloat forward staging base USS Ponce, shooting a small Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle out of the sky.

More at link.