Israel’s “Iron Beam” was in the spotlight earlier this month, as laser direct energy weapons (LDEWs) were employed to counter rockets fired by the Tehran-backed Hezbollah from Lebanon. The Iron Beam is part of the infamous Iron Dome, Israel’s multi-layered air defense system, which was developed to counter short-range threats.
The use of the DEWs was noted by media reports and commentators on social media who tried to suggest that the “Jewish Space Lasers,” which some conspiracy theorists said were behind the devastating wildfires in California in 2018, are real. However, the lasers used to down the Hezbollah rockets aren’t space-based, but they could be effective in countering such aerial threats.
Lasers are inexpensive to use, meaning they can help reduce the cost of deploying large numbers of missile interceptors to take down threats such as the relatively inexpensive Iranian-made Shahed 136 drone. The arms race for cheap systems matters,” The Jerusalem Post reported.
The United States Navy is now experimenting with lasers, which could be employed as part of the air defenses on its warships.
Last year, the Lockheed Martin-developed HELIOS (High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance) system was tested on the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG-88). The 60 kW+ high-energy laser was designed to counter “Fast Inshore Attack Craft” (FIAC) and unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
How effective is HELIOS?
Aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin first announced its development of the laser-based HELIOS in January 2021.
At the time, the firm described the weapon: “More than just a high-energy laser, the HELIOS system’s multi-mission capabilities include long-range Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) and Counter UAS-mounted ISR (C-ISR) Dazzler.” The company added, “The HELIOS system’s deep magazine, low cost per kill, speed of light delivery, and precision response enable it to address Fleet needs now, and its mature, scalable architecture supports increased laser power levels to counter additional threats in the future.”
HELIOS employs the power output of approximately 60 U.S. houses, combining multiple kilowatt fiber lasers to achieve high beam quality across various power levels. It is reported to have a range of roughly five miles, but could also be scaled up to deliver 120kW of power.
It could also be used in two very different ways.
The first would be in a “soft-kill” mode, where it acts as an optical dazzler that degrades and blinds a missile or drone’s sensors. In a “hard-kill,” the beam applies heat to damage the threat’s structure.
Moreover, as its full name suggests, HELIOS could be employed in a long-range Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) role, serving as a high-precision, long-range optical sensor that can be integrated into the Aegis Combat System. HELIOS uses high-definition, thermal, and night-vision capabilities to identify threats, assess battle damage, and even track targets up to six miles away.
The U.S. Navy Hasn’t Been Committed to Lasers
Although the efforts with HELIOS have been known for five years, the concept of DEWs goes back even further.
As previously reported, writers such as H. G. Wells and Jules Verne first described such “death ray” weapons in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; yet, it wasn’t until the 1930s that the British Air Ministry considered whether such a platform could even be developed.
Work was first undertaken by Robert Watson-Watt at the Radio Research Station. Although he and colleague Arnold Wilkins concluded that such a project wasn’t feasible, it did result in the development of radar.
The Royal Navy has been developing its DragonFire LDEW to counter threats, including drones and missiles. It could begin to be installed on its warships beginning next year.
LDEWs are seen as a cost-effective option, as firing the laser beam at a target costs just around $10, compared to the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars that interceptor missiles cost. In the case of DragonFire, it can hit a dollar-sized coin from just under a mile away.
However, critics warn that fast-moving missiles could reach their target in just seconds, leaving few options if the laser can’t get the job done. In “hard-kill” mode, it can take several seconds to disable a missile in flight.
Range And Power Are the Issues
The United States military has experimented with LDEWs for decades. Still, it was a year ago that Admiral Daryl Lane Caudle, head of the United States Fleet Forces Command, said that the service’s lack of lasers is an embarrassment that needs to be corrected. Caudle argued that the service has underinvested in the technology, noting that the Pentagon is no further along than it was during the Reagan administration in the 1980s.
Even as the U.S. military continues to explore how to employ the technology, several major hurdles remain.
The first is the aforementioned range.
Lasers simply don’t have the range to hit a target and therefore can only be part of a broader defense, working alongside close-in weapons systems (CIWS) like the Phalanx air defense system. Dust, fog, clouds, and other atmospheric conditions complicate the issue. Without clear skies, lasers have a hard time finding their target.
The other major issue is energy.
Lasers in the 100 kW range could be used to engage unmanned aircraft, small boats, rockets, artillery, or mortars, while 300 kW-range weapons could be employed against the side of a cruise missile fuselage. For hypersonic weapons and even ballistic missiles, it might require a 1 MW-class laser to burn through the fuselage, and even then, it might be insufficient to stop the threat entirely.
Conventionally-powered warships like a destroyer don’t have the energy to spare.
Its advanced systems, such as its AN/SPY-6 radar, are already pushing the envelope, and lasers will only add to it. The HELIOS can rapidly switch between beams, and reportedly could track up to 100 targets simultaneously. But each beam requires more energy.
For lasers to be effective and strike multiple targets, they might require a nuclear reactor like those on the U.S. Navy’s supercarriers.
LDEWs are likely the future, but we’re just not quite there yet.
