The U.S. Army is on the verge of integrating laser weapons into its official arsenal, with a landmark contract expected to be signed soon for "Enduring High Energy Lasers" (E-HEL). This move would mark the first time the U.S. military has committed to deploying laser weapons in significant numbers, transitioning them from experimental projects to a formally approved program of record. The development comes amidst a growing threat from inexpensive and plentiful drones, which have proven challenging to counter with traditional, more costly interceptor missiles.
The contract, anticipated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, is expected to go to AeroVironment for up to 20 E-HEL systems. These systems are designed to be compact, capable of fitting into a four-by-seven-foot container or atop an all-terrain vehicle. Their primary purpose will be to defend bases globally against drone attacks, including one-way attack drones like the Shahed-136, a key component of Iran's unmanned arsenal.
The push for directed energy weapons gained urgency following incidents such as a March 1 Iranian drone attack that killed six U.S. service members and injured 30 others. The high cost of traditional countermeasures, such as firing $4 million Patriot missiles at $35,000 drones, has highlighted the need for more economical solutions. Lasers offer a significant advantage in this regard, as they do not run out of ammunition as long as they have a power source.
While laser weapon development has spanned over 50 years with numerous attempts that did not pan out, recent technological advancements have made them viable. Key improvements include the widespread adoption of "fiber lasers," which use bundles of glass wires infused with rare-earth ions. These are more efficient at absorbing energy, better at heat dissipation, and produce a highly focused beam. Individual fiber lasers, though only producing a few kilowatts, can be bundled to achieve weapons-grade power sufficient to neutralize small drones. Advances in semiconductor diodes for pumping energy into the lasers, along with machine vision for target tracking and adaptive optics to counteract atmospheric distortion, have also contributed to their effectiveness.
Despite a history of mixed results and some mishaps during testing, the Army appears ready to move forward. For instance, four vehicles equipped with Raytheon air-defense lasers were reportedly withdrawn from the Middle East due to poor soldier reviews. In February, an AeroVironment laser along the southern U.S. border accidentally targeted a party balloon, leading to a brief airspace closure, and later mistakenly shot down a Border Patrol drone. However, this accidental drone kill also served to demonstrate the laser's capability to neutralize such targets.
Following these events, Pentagon and FAA officials attended a demonstration of an AeroVironment laser at White Sands, New Mexico, less than a week after the March 1 drone attack, seeking assurances of its safe operation in crowded airspace. Lt. Gen. Frank Lozano later confirmed that the system had shown "a lot of recent promise and capability" at White Sands and that the Army was "negotiating a contract with AeroVironment right now for the Enduring High Energy Laser system."
The designation of E-HEL as a "program of record" signifies a formal approval within the Pentagon's five-year budget, indicating a wider cultural acceptance of the technology as a military capability and signaling to contractors to increase production. This marks a significant shift, as it is the first time the Army has taken such a step with a laser weapon.
