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missiles; Navy slab lasers have been tested at 105 kW with increases to 300 kW planned. Laser weapons like the LaWS are meant to complement other missile and gun-based defense systems rather than replace them. While lasers are significantly cheaper and have virtually unlimited magazines, their beams can be disrupted by atmospheric and weather conditions (especially when operating at the ocean's surface) and are restricted to line-of-sight firing to continuously keep the beam on target. More conventional systems will remain in place for larger and longer-range targets that require the use of kinetic defense.
232:, to which the United States is a party.) By lasing a vital point, LaWS can shoot down a small UAV in as little as two seconds. When facing small boats, the laser can target a craft's motor to disable it, then repeat this against other boats in rapid succession, requiring only a few seconds of firing per boat. Targeting the platform is more effective than targeting individual crewmembers, although the LaWS is accurate enough to target explosive rockets if on board, whose detonations could kill the operators. Against a larger aircraft like a helicopter, LaWS can burn through some vital components to cause it to crash.
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361:(RHIB). Officials said it is working beyond expectations. Compared to hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars for a missile, one laser shot costs only 59 cents. Composed of commercial laser components and proprietary Navy software, it is powered and cooled by a "skid" through a diesel generator, separate from the ship's electrical systems, giving greater efficiency relative to power provided of 35 percent. Mounted on
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not been tested in such conditions because "it didn't make much sense to", but threats would also not be expected to be operational under the same conditions. Deployments on other ships are being examined and although the LaWS was planned to remain deployed for one year, it performed so well that fleet leadership decided to keep it on
270:(kW) for engaging small aircraft and high-speed boats. Directed-energy weapons are being pursued for economic reasons, as they can be fired for as little as one dollar per shot, while conventional gun rounds and missiles can cost thousands of dollars each. The Navy has a history of testing energy weapons, including megawatt
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integrated into the ship's combat system, so anyone with experience playing common video games can operate the weapon. It functioned well against adverse weather, and is able to work in high humidity and after a dust storm. However, the system is not expected to work during harsh sandstorms and has
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The LaWS is designed to be used against low-end asymmetric threats. Scalable power levels allow it to be used on low power to dazzle a person's eye non-lethally to turn away a threat, and to be used at high power, up to 30 kilowatts, to fry sensors, burn out motors, and detonate explosive materials.
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Various issues prevented the LaWS from entering serial production. As a developmental prototype, it had bulky trickle charge capacitors and a long charge time, difficulty tracking small targets. and problems producing a single synchronised and coherent beam from the six smaller emitters. In
January
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in the 1980s. Their chemicals were found to be too hazardous for shipboard use, so they turned to less powerful fiber solid-state lasers. Other types can include slab solid state and free electron lasers. The LaWS benefitted from commercial laser developments, with the system basically being six
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to test the feasibility of a laser weapon in a maritime environment against heat, humidity, dust, and salt water and to see how much power is used. The system has scalable power levels to be able to fire a non-lethal beam to dazzle a suspect vessel, and fire stronger beams to physically destroy a
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array which can be tuned to high output to destroy a target or low output to warn or cripple the sensors of a target. One of its advantages over projectile weapons is the low cost per shot: Each firing of the weapon requires only the minimal cost of generating the energetic pulse; by contrast,
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to destroy fast-attack boats, drones, manned aircraft, and anti-ship cruise missiles out to a few miles. In the short term, the LaWS will act as a short-range, self-defense system against drones and boats, while more powerful lasers in the future should have enough power to destroy anti-ship
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radar. With tests going well, the Navy expected to deploy a laser weapon operationally between 2017 and 2021 with an effective range of 1 mi (1.6 km; 0.87 nmi). The exact level of power the LaWS will use is unknown but estimated between
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s superstructure above the bridge, its optics are also useful as a surveillance tool that can detect objects at unspecified but "tactically significant ranges"; sailors have equated its surveillance abilities to having the
279:"strapped together" that, although they don't become a single beam, all converge on the target at the same time. It generates 33 kW in testing, with follow-on deployable weapons generating 60–100 kW mounted on a
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in summer 2014 for a 12-month trial deployment. The Navy spent about $ 40 million over the past six years on research, development, and testing of the laser weapon. It is directed to targets by the
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to house the LaWS power and control modules while the laser itself will be bolted to the deck. Because the installation will be only a trial, LaWS will not be integrated into the ship's warfare system.
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at sea. Sailors used it for targeting and training daily, whether to disable or destroy test targets or for potential target identification. The system is operated through a flat screen monitor and a
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In
September 2014, the LaWS was declared an operational asset, so ship commanders were authorized to use it for self-defense. Humans are not a target of the weapon under stipulations of the
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while the other was intended for land-based testing. Further contract options could bring its value to $ 942.8 million. In August 2022 a HELIOS systems was delivered to the US Navy.
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was authorized to use the system as a defensive weapon. Due to various operational problems, LaWS was never put into mass production; it was replaced by the
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248:(NSWC) in the development of LaWS for the U.S. Navy's Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems (DE&EWS) program. The May 24, 2010 NSWC test used a
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using small boat swarms that the LaWS is able to counter, it was not designed or deployed specifically to be used against any one particular country.
519:"Kratos Awarded $ 11 Million Contract to Support the Navy Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems and Total Ship Training System Program Offices"
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for field testing in 2014. In
December 2014, the United States Navy reported that the LaWS system worked perfectly against low-end
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ordnance for projectile weapons must be designed, manufactured, handled, transported, and maintained, and takes up storage space.
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Following a review of several ship classes to determine which had available space, power, and cooling, it was decided that after
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prohibit using laser weapons against humans. The Navy has released video of the LaWS on deployment disabling a
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s planned decommissioning in 2018, the LaWS will be moved to the new amphibious transport dock ship
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This article is about LaWS, the US Navy laser weapon system. For other laser weapon systems, see
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for indefinite testing. It will utilise the space and power connections reserved for its
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219:(UAV or drone) and a simulated small-boat attacker. LaWS uses an infrared beam from a
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793:"Lockheed Martin Delivers Integrated Multi-Mission Laser Weapon System to the Navy"
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LPD Portland Will Host ONR Laser Weapon
Demonstrator, Serve as RIMPAC 2018 Flagship
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target; range is classified. Although neighboring Iran has threatened to block the
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have been developed for its use, but details have not been released, although the
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The LaWS is a ship-defense system that has so far publicly engaged an
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Convention on
Certain Conventional Weapons Rules of Engagement (ROE)
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Navy
Declares Laser Weapons Ready to Protect Ships in Persian Gulf
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High Energy Laser with
Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance
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High Energy Laser with
Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance
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contract with
Lockheed Martin for the production of two HELIOS (
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Navy
Pursuing Upgraded Railgun, Higher-Power Laser Gun By 2020
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U.S. Navy Deploys Its First Laser Weapon in the Persian Gulf
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Lasers Could Become Cost Effective Missile Defense Weapons
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Laser Weapon System (LaWS) demonstration aboard USS Ponce
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767:"Navy orders laser weapon systems from Lockheed Martin"
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U.S. Navy Allowed to Use Persian Gulf Laser for Defense
609:"Navy's New Laser Weapon Blasts Bad Guys From Air, Sea"
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control system to enable the beam director to track an
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was awarded an $ 11 million contract to support the
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Navy's First Laser Gun Shines In Deployed Exercises
637:"U.S. Navy sees shipboard laser weapon coming soon"
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576:Laser Weapons: Lower Expectations, Higher Threats
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482:"Navy: New laser weapon works, ready for action"
38:. For the concept of a laser weapon system, see
566:– Nationaldefensemagazine.com, January 29, 2014
27:"LaWS" redirects here. Not to be confused with
228:(Blinding laser weapons are prohibited by the
741:"Navy Destroyer Adds HELIOS Laser to Arsenal"
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848:Directed-energy weapons of the United States
256:target. The LaWS was to be installed on USS
853:Military equipment introduced in the 2010s
597:– Nationaldefensemagazine.org, August 2014
339:Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
546:Navy Laser Detects, Tracks Maritime UAVs
508:– Breakingdefense.com, December 10, 2014
506:Star Wars At Sea: Navy’s Laser Gets Real
470:- SAdefensejournal.com, 19 February 2016
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739:Roaten, Meredith (October 19, 2022).
701:– Defensenews.com, December 11, 2014
635:Jonathan Skillings (April 8, 2013).
557:Navy’s Laser Gun Nears Critical Test
765:Laporta, James (January 29, 2018).
578:– Breakingdefense.com, May 19, 2014
199:threats, and that the commander of
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799:. Lockheed Martin. August 18, 2022
677:– News.USNI.org, December 10, 2014
665:– Bloomberg.com, November 14, 2014
480:Lendon, Brad (December 11, 2014).
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230:Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons
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54:Laser Weapon System
823:Laser test on drone
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18:Laser Weapon System
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388:USS
351:ScanEagle
325:with the
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423:See also
390:Portland
268:Kilowatt
125:Designed
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236:History
211:Purpose
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114:US Navy
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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