US Navy demonstrates High Energy Laser in DOT&E trial

The US Navy’s Director of Operational test & Evaluation (DOT&E) has confirmed in his annual report that the US Navy destroyer, USS Preble, successfully demonstrated a High Energy Laser (HEL), in a trial against an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) during 2024.

The trial fit saw the USS Preble verify and validate the functionality, performance and capability of the HEL, with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance system, against an unspecified UAV target. Imagery of the engagements was collected to support the evaluation of system performance. The trial also compared the HEL’s effectiveness in a real-world scenario with design predictions.

The Acting Director of OT&E, Dr Raymond O’Toole, said in his report the US Department of Defense (DoD) currently lacks facilities to safely test High Energy Laser (HEL) weapon systems in realistic combat conditions. DoD initiatives are required to outfit test and training ranges with HEL-specific safety equipment to conduct open-air, self- and area-defence test scenarios with weapons expected to produce HEL beams. Radar, IR and EO sensors will also be needed throughout the engagement zone to collect data on target position, velocity, reflected irradiance, and battle damage for assessing performance.

The Army’s White Sands Missile Range is relatively limited and does not support tests in multi-domain operations. Future open-air tests of Navy shipboard self-defence HEL systems will need accredited threat surrogates for anti-ship cruise missiles and swarming unmanned airborne and surface vehicles, he said.

Finally, the DoD lacks test ranges with surrogate systems capable of replicating peer threat capabilities for tactical lasers, high-power microwave, or ultra-wideband Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) point defences to assess end-to-end effectiveness and vulnerability of airborne platforms.