The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has tested its Fractl Portable High Energy Laser at the Puckapunyal Military Area in Victoria.
The Fractl is Canberra’s first directed energy weapon designed to neutralize aerial drones moving at 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour.
Built and delivered by Melbourne-based industry partner AIM Defence, the capability fires a concentrated laser with “less than the amount of power it takes to boil a kettle” at the speed of light to burn through steel.
The suitcase-sized solution can localize threats as small as a 10-cent coin at 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) away.
The ADF wrote that the weapon is operated silently and motionlessly, adding that unfamiliar personnel can also learn the platform within minutes.
“You push a button to track the drone and the computer takes over, then you push another button to ‘pull the trigger’ just like a video game,” ADF Corporal Patrick Flanagan explained.
“With your index finger you can quickly change your aim between the drone’s video camera, centre mass or one of the propellers.
“It only takes seconds to knock out the camera and two or three seconds to disable the rotor.”
Weapon With ‘Endless Magazine’
According to ADF, an additional Fractl test was conducted alongside armored teams to evaluate the weapon’s counter-unmanned aerial system (c-UAS) function before the Puckapunyal trial.
“They consumed a lot of ammunition and were hitting the target at very close range,” ADF Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warrant Officer 2 Eli Lea stated. “There was no margin for error.”
“Laser weapons essentially have an endless magazine as long as there’s power.”
“Modern fire control systems specifically designed to track and engage drones are what’s needed.”
Preparing for Advanced Threats
The ADF further highlighted the importance of the Fractl and similar anti-drone solutions to address the emergence of autonomous aircraft in modern warfare.
“Drones come in all shapes and sizes and you need a variety of tools to defeat the threat,” Lea said.
“Shooting small multi-rotor UAS out of the sky is particularly challenging. A directed-energy weapon that can detect, track and engage those types of targets is a part of that tool set.”
“The lessons from Ukraine are that drones are a genuine problem and if we don’t do anything about it, we’re going to get a rude awakening in the next fight.”