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."

NPS SE thesis students are studying other aspects of the cognitive laser concept. One study is widening the scope of the problem beyond laser weapon system decisions (Carr 2021). This study is asking the broader question: how do warfare operators on ships make the determination of which weapon to select when they have kinetic weapons and laser weapons to choose from? For this higher-level kill chain function, the operator needs to be able to compare the predicted performance of the kinetic weapon with that of the laser weapon for a given threat scenario. The threat is not stationary--as it moves, the range between the weapon and target changes and therefore the amount of "atmosphere" that the laser beam must traverse changes.

This summer, the US Air Force will begin testing a laser mounted on an F-15 warplane, an official said Monday. The Pentagon last year awarded a $26 million contract to Lockheed Martin for a laser program called SHiELD (Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator.) The idea is to put a laser system on aircraft with an output of about 50 kilowatts to test their ability to zap drones or cruise missiles. Air Force scientists hope to have a laser that can defeat drones and missiles ready to put on an F-15 by summer 2019. 'We have got tests starting this summer and the flight tests next summer,' Jeff Stanley, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for science, technology and engineering, told reporters. 'There are still some technical challenges that we have to overcome, mainly size, weight, power.'

Lockheed Martin is developing a powerful new pair of cannons that can shoot down drones using high energy laser beams. Under a $150 million contract from the US Navy, the firm plans to develop, manufacture, and test the new weapons by 2020. The goal is to demonstrate one on land, and the second aboard an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, according to Motherboard. Under the new contract, Lockheed Martin will develop the laser weapons for land and for an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. Lockheed Martin's newest weapons will come under a contract with the US Navy to build a High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-dazzler with surveillance system, the Department of Defense says.

Lockheed Martin is working to develop a high-power fiber laser for fighter jets. Under a $26.3 million contract from the Air Force Research Lab, the firm will design and produce a directed energy system for aircraft, with plans to test the technology by 2021. The move comes after a series of successful tests with similar systems in ground-based platforms – but, the experts say developing a laser for a smaller, airborne design will be a challenge. Lockheed Martin is working to develop a high-power fiber laser for fighter jets. Under a $26.3 million contract from the Air Force Research Lab, the firm will design and produce a directed energy system for aircraft, with plans to test it by 2021.

High-tech weapons that the Secret Service is not trained to cope with pose a'grave threat' to the White House, a former agent has warned. Swarms of weaponized drones or even 3D printed plastic guns could be used to launch unforeseen attacks on the president, according to Dan Bongino, author of Protecting the President. While drones have long been on their radar, recent technological developments could allow for'spectacular swarm attacks' that exploit the agency's ground-based approach, the Washington Examiner reports. High-tech weapons that the Secret Service is not trained to cope with pose a'grave threat' to the White House, a former agent has warned. One of ISIS's recently captured drones is pictured above ISIS is increasingly using drones on the battlefield, and the Pentagon hopes that the new cash programme will help to combat these weapons.

Last month, nearly a dozen army contractors took to the desert in New Mexico to test a range of new technologies to take down enemy drones. While some of the tests were successful, Pentagon officials have warned that many of the technologies are'still immature' and require'further development.' In response, the Pentagon has launched a $700 million (£517 million) cash programme to combat ISIS' lethal fleet of drones. The Pentagon has launched a $700 million (£517 million) cash programme to combat ISIS' lethal fleet of drones. ISIS is increasingly using drones on the battlefield, and the Pentagon hopes that the new cash programme will help to combat these weapons.

Lockheed Martin has released new footage from tests with its laser weapon system, revealing how'Athena' can deliver an invisible killing blow to take down an enemy drone. In the tests conducted last month at New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range, the prototype weapon successfully shot down five unmanned Outlaw aircraft. The hair-raising footage shows the moment flames burst from the tails of the flying drones one by one before they plummet toward the ground, as the silent attack causes both loss of control and structural failure. Lockheed Martin has released new footage from tests with its laser weapon system, revealing how'Athena' can deliver an invisible killing blow to take down an enemy drone. Lockheed Martin's laser is a beam combined fiber laser, meaning it brings together individual lasers, generated through fiber optics, to generate a single, intense laser beam.

Lockheed Martin has completed the design, development and demonstration of a radical 60 kW laser weapon for the U.S. Army. In testing earlier this month, the Lockheed Martin laser produced a single beam of 58 kW, representing a world record for a laser of this type. Army bosses hope the radical weapon will give protection against threats such as swarms of drones or large numbers of rockets and mortars, and says It could one day be installed on military planes, helicopters and ships. A rendering of a truck mounted 60 kW laser weapon system for tactical U.S. Army vehicles. Lockheed Martin has revealed it has completed the design, development and demonstration of a radical 60 kW laser weapon for the U.S. Army.

Combat vehicles may soon be equipped with laser weapon systems to fend off enemy drones and aircraft. Laser weapons and Stinger missiles could be integrated into detection systems and mounted on vehicles, including Humvees and Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, to better protect ground units. A Ground-Based Air Defense (GBAD) Directed Energy On-The-Move will soon head into the next phase of development, enabling the vehicles to fire lasers while in motion. Combat vehicles may soon be equipped with laser weapon systems to fend off enemy drones and aircraft. The program led by the Office of Naval Research is about to move on to Phase 3, the US Naval Institute News reports.