Are lasers the future of anti-drone warfare? A drone appears on the grainy, gray-scaled image of the thermal camera. This is the type of drone used by groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and the Yemeni Houthis. Seconds later, the wing of the drone snaps off, sending it tumbling down, exploding when it hits the ground. This is a video shared by the Israeli Ministry of Defence and arms producer Rafael, a hint towards the future of anti-drone warfare.

Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reports on China hosting North Korea's Kim Jong Un during a military parade and President Trump warning Vladimir Putin of consequences if he holds no meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. China displayed new weapons Wednesday at a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of World War II's end. Beijing sought to display its growing military power as Chinese President Xi Jinping was accompanied by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Highlights from China's arms exhibition included submarine drones, hypersonic missiles and laser weapons. Additionally, China showed off its fighter jets and bombers during the 90-minute display.

The US Navy has released stunning images showing its incredible new drone-destroying laser weapon in action for the first time. The HELIOS system was tested aboard the USS Preble, with photos capturing its bright beam shooting an unmanned aerial vehicle out of the sky. HELIOS, which stands for High Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance, was developed by Lockheed Martin in 2021 and delivered to the Navy a year later. The system blasts more than 60 kilowatts of directed energy, enough to power up to 60 homes, at the speed of light and can hit targets up to five miles away. It is designed to counter a range of threats, including drones, small boats, and potentially incoming missiles.

The age of the laser weapon is finally upon us. The United States Army has officially sent a pair of high-energy laser weapons overseas to defend American troops and US allies against enemy drones, the service recently revealed, marking the first publicly known deployment of a directed-energy system for air defense in military history. And, according to a top official, those weapons are actively blasting threats out of the sky. The weapon, known as the Palletized High Energy Laser (P-HEL) and developed by the American defense contractor BlueHalo based on the company's 20-kilowatt Locust Laser Weapon System, first arrived in an unspecified location overseas and "commenced operational employment" in November 2022, according to an April press release from the company. A second system arrived overseas "earlier this year."

Britain is to start testing Star Wars-style laser weapons that will be able to shoot down drones and rockets from up to six miles away. Defence company Raytheon UK has announced it will be opening an advanced laser integration centre in Livingston, West Lothian next year. It said the new European hub will focus on'testing, fielding and maintenance of defensive high-energy laser (HEL) weapons'. The weapons will be designed to take down drones, rockets, artillery and mortars with just a highly concentrated beam of light. Raytheon UK was given a demonstrator contract to deliver an HEL weapon system to the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) last September.

The US Army is planning to demonstrate a 300-kilowatt laser weapon, the most powerful ever built, next year. General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) and Boeing are building the device, which is the size of a shipping container and mounted on a heavy truck. "The high power, compact laser weapon… will produce a lethal output greater than anything fielded to date," Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS, said in a statement. The US Navy deployed the first high-energy laser weapon, known as LaWS, on the USS Ponce in 2014, with a reported 30 kilowatt output. Most military lasers tend to be in the 30 to 100 kilowatt range, which is mainly useful for shooting down small drones, so the new weapon is a significant increase.

The US Army is planning to demonstrate a 300-kilowatt laser weapon, its most powerful ever, next year. General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) and Boeing are building the device, which is the size of a shipping container and mounted on a heavy truck. "The high power, compact laser weapon… will produce a lethal output greater than anything fielded to date," Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS, said in a statement. The US Navy deployed the first high-energy laser weapon, known as LaWS, on the USS Ponce in 2014, with a reported 30 kilowatt output. Most military lasers tend to be in the 30 to 100 kilowatt range, which is mainly useful for shooting down small drones, so the new weapon is a significant increase.

Enemy drone attack threats are a key part of the inspiration for newer kinds of laser weapons because they can incinerate drones without generating large amounts of explosive fragmentation. Moreover, newer lasers can scale attacks to align with the target and desired combat effect and, perhaps most of all, travel at the speed of light to destroy drones quickly, ideally before they are able to strike. Attacking drone swarms may be approaching for attack so quickly that kinetic responses such as interceptor missile fire control systems may be challenged in certain respects, depending upon the extent of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled target recognition technology and computer automation. The question of scaling lasers to optimize power input for counter-drone strikes is addressed in a recent essay from May of last year called "Testing the Efficiency of Laser Technology to Destroy Rogue Drones," in the Security & Defense Quarterly from War Studies University. The essay describes innovative experimental methods of "incorporating a laser module and groups of optical lenses to focus the power in one point to carbonize any target."

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. When the Navy is ready to deploy a new 60kw ship-fired laser weapon from a destroyer later this year, maritime attack strategy and tactics will enter new dimensions of massive warfare on the open seas. Later this year, the Navy reports, the emerging High-Energy Laser with Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) will arm an Arleigh Burke Flight IIA DDG 51 destroyer, following additional land and ocean testing and assessments. This means that Navy destroyers will operate with the ability to incinerate enemy drones with great precision at the speed of light, stunning, burning or simply disabling them.

Defense Specialist Allison Barrie takes a closer look at some of the most exciting advances in defense tech to keep a close eye on in 2019. These advances break down into 5 key battle spaces: sea, air, land, space and cyber. From F-35B fighter jets to the future of the U.S. Space Force, Fox Firepower covers them all. The U.S. military has been modernizing the armed forces in preparation for a potentially new era of warfare around the corner. So as we kick off this new year, which defense stories should Americans be keeping an eye on?