The US Navy unveiled it’s latest weapon in its arsenal insiders say is capable of destroying enemy warships and drones.
A jaw-dropping new photo shows the US Navy firing off what looks like a laser weapon — dubbed Helios — from one of its warships.
The U.S. Navy unveiled a photo of a warship's high-powered laser weapon in an annual report released last month. https://t.co/Zk1R6iSLPy
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 4, 2025
The image, which was published in the US Center for Countermeasures’ annual report this month, captured the warfighting laser technology being fired from the USS Preble destroyer in the middle of the ocean.
The demo was “to verify and validate the functionality, performance, and capability of the HEL with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance system against an unmanned aerial vehicle target,” the report stated.
The report did not provide specific details about the test — including where, or when, the laser weapon was fired.
According to the report it did provide a high level overview of the Helios weapon, which uses a 60 kW high-energy laser that can engage targets at the speed of light, is an advanced directed energy system developed for the US by Lockheed Martin.
It “obliterates targets — including drones, fast-attack craft and missiles — by melting or overheating them.”
In addition to being used as a destructive laser, the weapon can act as an optical dazzler that could disrupt intelligence and reconnaissance sensors.
Recently, on of the United States’ allies also tested a similar weapon technology.
The United Kingdom successfully tested its own high-powered laser weapon — dubbed DragonFire — against aerial targets last year.