Buggy-Mounted Laser – Next Counter-Drone Solution?
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US military leaders are increasingly concerned about unmanned aerial vehicle threats. Drones can be small and incredibly mobile, making them difficult to hit with traditional weaponry. Lasers mounted on the backs of dune buggies may be the response to this challenge.
Emerging technologies include lasers and microwave weapons as possible drone-stopping solutions. The U.S. Air Force is testing the High Energy Laser Weapon System, or HELWS, which uses directed energy to defeat incoming UAVs. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) awarded Raytheon Technologies a $23.8 million contract in 2019 for two HELWS prototypes, granting $13.1 million later that year for a third prototype.
HELWS includes a laser module that generates the beam, a magazine that provides enough power for dozens of shots, and thermal systems to keep the whole system at the right temperature. But the most expensive component — and the one with the longest lead time — is the hybrid electro-optical infrared sensor/beam director.
For the weapon to work, the system must keep the laser on the target throughout the engagement while directing enough energy over the distance to destroy or disable it.
“It takes us roughly 5 seconds to shoot down a drone within 3 kilometers or so,” said Evan Hunt, the company’s lead for high-energy laser business development.
The whole system is controlled via a game-style controller and a single laptop.
The company has delivered three different versions of the system to the Air Force, with the Directed Energy Combined Test Force announcing recently that HELWS2 was tested overseas beginning in September 2020. The first HELWS system was deployed in early 2020.
“They’ve been rapid prototyping, so each system we build is an iterative development,” said Hunt. “All three kind of look very similar. They’re all currently on the back of a Polaris MRZR.” The changes aren’t massive, but each successive prototype is a little more ruggedized, better packaged, more serviceable and more powerful, said Hunt. All three iterations will likely be tested at different overseas operational locations.
