Lockheed Martin’s HELIOS (High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance) weapon has been successfully placed aboard a US Navy warship. Designed to combat unmanned air threats, the high-energy laser weapon runs at a cost of just a few dollars per shot — an extraordinary saving for a Navy that has a habit of spending tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars per missile interception.
The defense blog reports that the HELIOS update was published in a January 2025 report by the U.S. Director, Bureau of Operational Testing and Evaluation. The report includes a picture of USS Preble using its weapons system, HELIOS at sea – one of the clearest images of a laser weapon that has worked so far.
“The U.S. Countermeasures Center (CCM) supported a Navy demonstration at USS Preble (DDG 88) to verify and validate HEL’s functionality, performance, and capability against an integrated optical daiser and surveillance system unmanned aerial vehicle target. The CCM collected images of commitments to support the evaluation of the system’s performance,” the annual report said.
HELIOS is currently estimated at 60 kilowatts and can reach up to 120 kilowatts, greatly increasing Preble’s lethality against kamikaze drones. The laser weapon provides an operational advantage: unlimited firing capability as long as power is available. This reduces the weight and space of the missile destroyer, but reduces the price of the ring from tens of thousands of dollars to just a few dollars.
“HELIOS represents a major step forward in naval warfare by providing a cost-effective countermeasure against drones, small boats, and other asymmetric threats,” the military blog said, adding, “The U.S. Navy has expanded its targeted energy arsenal, and the HELIOS-equipped USS Preble is joining an increasing number of Navy ships that provide high-energy laser weapons.”
Over the past decade, we have been tracking the evolution of directed energy weapons on U.S. warships:
- 2016: U.S. Navy begins testing a powerful 150-kilowatt laser weapon system
- 2017: “Technology is becoming real” – edge of laser weapons closer to battlefield use
- 2017: Navy unveils the world’s first active laser weapon in the Persian Gulf
- 2019: The Navy is ready to “burn boats” with a new laser weapon
- 2019: Raytheon shoots down several drones with a directed laser weapon
- 2021: U.S. Navy tests a new laser weapon off the coast of Yemen
In addition to laser weapons, the U.S. military is still hyper-focused on stealth fighter and bomber aircraft, hypersonic weapons, unmanned drones, and other high-tech technologies amidst weapons of weapons and artificial intelligence with China.
