Raytheon HELWS Laser Weapon Completes First Fire for British Army

Raytheon has conducted the initial fire test of its High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) aboard a military vehicle for the British Army.

The demonstration aligns with the UK Ministry of Defence’s Land Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) Demonstrator program which seeks a ground vehicle-mounted capability to counter drones.

Held at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory Porton Down range in England, the event saw the weapon activated at full power while integrated with a British Army Wolfhound armored tactical support vehicle.

The trial concluded with the HELWS successfully neutralizing targets at more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet).

“This high-powered firing is a significant step towards ensuring the UK Armed Forces can exploit this potentially game changing capability at pace so they have the edge against both current and future threats,” a statement from the UK defense agency said.

“This technology offers a precise, powerful and cost effective means to defeat aerial threats, ensuring greater protection for our forces.”

More Tests to Follow

London wrote that data from the activity will be used to further explore the applications of future LDEW systems against other threats.

Additional tests will also be facilitated with the British Army later this year to learn more about the HELWS capabilities and its real-world drone warfare scenarios.

“In successfully firing the first laser weapon integrated on a land vehicle in the UK, DSTL has proven that the Raytheon high energy laser weapon system can track, engage and defeat targets whilst mounted on a vehicle,” Raytheon UK Managing Director James Gray stated.

“We now look forward to the British Army experimenting with the weapon over the coming months and proving that the technology is battlefield ready.”