The US Army has awarded BlueHalo a contract to provide full-cycle support for the service’s Palletized High Energy Laser System (P-HEL) counter-drone capability.
Developed by the Virginia-based company, the P-HEL uses directed energy to protect warfighters and vital infrastructure from small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS).
The agreement will supply corrective and preventative sustainment services for the weapon, as well as training for operator and maintenance teams tasked with the platform.
Work for the project will be conducted over four years.
“With this contract, BlueHalo is now providing full-scale Directed Energy support to our customers-at-home through advanced innovation,” BlueHalo CEO Jonathan Moneymaker stated.
“Our industry-leading Directed Energy expertise and intimate knowledge of the P-HEL system, combined with lessons learned from deployment, will truly transform how our Warfighters use laser weapon systems to combat evolving enemy sUAS threats.”
Expanding Army Partnership
BlueHalo delivered the first P-HEL prototype to the army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) in April 2022. The weapon then achieved operational capability seven months later.
Earlier this year, the firm handed the second P-HEL to an international customer.
BlueHalo received a separate contract in April 2023 to produce a 20-kilowatt mountable P-HEL for the army’s Infantry Squad Vehicles.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with the Army and RCCTO to support P-HEL,” BlueHalo Sector President Jimmy Jenkins said.
“This program captures BlueHalo’s ability to take advanced innovation from rapid prototype to deployment to sustainment, integrating new technologies into operational systems to strengthen our defenses against next-generation air threats.”