The rising of naval directed energy laser weapons?

One of the most recent photos of the new HELIOS laser directed energy weapon installed on the US Vavy Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Preble, with an inset showing a rendering of the system. © US Navy/Lockheed Martin

The rising of naval directed energy laser weapons?

By Luca Peruzzi

With the development of directed energy laser weapons, Naval Forces around the world are looking to find support in countering the plethora of airborne and surface threats, from unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) and fast attack boats, which are affecting the defending capabilities, due to the reduced number of vertical launching systems and the unfavorable cost comparison between missiles and laser firing. Surface platforms are limited in surface-to-air missiles and inner-layer defence systems that can be installed on board, and directed energy laser effectors are seen as the weapon-of-choice to add firepower. Shipboard solid-state lasers (SSLs) offer a potential for dramatically improving the weapon load and reducing overall procurement costs. SSLs are electrically powered, drawing energy from the ship’s overall electrical supply, and can be fired as long as the ship has fuel to generate electricity. Depending on its beam power, an SSL can be fired for an estimated marginal cost of $1 to less than $10 per shot, in addition to systems development and procurement costs. However, the development of SSLs needed to solve different and complex technical and environmental limitations to reach a level of maturation that only today allows installing them on board. SSLs that are entering into service demonstrated the ability to counter small boats and UAVs, but are not yet able to counter ASCMs and need to be realistically evaluated in operational conditions. Although, therefore, the SSL development and putting into service has still a way ahead, the first SSL iterations are being available and major programmes are being settled, as overlooked in this not comprehensive analysis.

Today the US Navy is involved in the Optical Dazzler Interdiction Navy (ODIN) programme to provide near-term, directed energy, shipboard Counter-ISR capabilities to dazzle UAVs and other platforms and address urgent operational needs of the Fleet. The AN/SEQ-4 ODIN is installed on at least three ships - here depicted on board the Stockdale Arleigh Burke-class destroyer - and five more systems are following. © US Navy

USA

In recent years, the US Navy leveraged both significant advancements in industrial shipboard SSLs and decades of research and development work on military lasers done by other US Department of Defence entities to make substantial progress toward deploying high-energy laser (HELs) on the service’s surface ships. The latter will use high-energy SSLs initially for jamming and confusing (i.e dazzling) intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors on board UAVs, for countering small boats and UAVs, and potentially in the future for countering enemy ASCMs as well. The Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS) programme supports the National Defense Strategy of building a more lethal force by leveraging mature technology to the Fleet, as part of the Navy Laser Family of System (NLFoS) initiative with the objective of providing the fleet with near-term laser weapon capabilities. The Solid State Laser Technology Maturation (SSL-TM) effort for the development of a prototype of a SSL called the Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD), installed on board the amphibious ship Portland, by an industrial team including BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Leonardo DRS, among others. In May 2020 it successfully disabled a UAV in an atsea test, which completed the programme activities. Today the US Navy is involved in the Optical Dazzler Interdiction Navy (ODIN) programme to provide near-term, directed energy, shipboard Counter-ISR capabilities to dazzle UAVs and other platforms and address urgent operational needs of the

The US Navy Portland amphibious ship (LPD 27) successfully tested the Solid State Laser - Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) Mark 2 MOD 0 in May 2020. The SSL-TM programme builds upon the Office of Naval Research’s previous developments, like the Laser Weapon System (LaWS), which was successfully tested at-sea aboard the Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) Ponce in 2014. © US Navy

The AN/SEQ-4 ODIN installed on board the Stockdale Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The ODIN is a governmentdesigned, built, tested and installed SSL from the US Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, which leads all the service’s directed energy weapons (DEW) activities. © US Navy

Developed by prime contractor Lockheed Martin, the HELIOS (High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical dazzler and Surveillance) system is the Increment 1 of the multi-increment Surface Navy Laser Weapon System acquisition programme that leverages mature technology to deliver proven laser weapon capability to the US Navy fleet. The system has been installed in early Q3 2022, on board the Preble Arleigh Burke Flight IIA class destroyer returned to service after an Aegis modernization activity. © US Navy

Fleet. Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 was the first year of funding which supported the design, development, procurement and installation of eight ODIN stand-alone units for deployment on DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA surface combatants. Currently, the AN/SEQ-4 ODIN has been installed on at least three platforms, including the Dewey, Stockdale and Spruance destroyers, and the FY 2023 budget request documentation provides support for the follow-on systems procurement, assembly and checkout, certification, shipboard installation, training and maintenance. The ODIN is a governmentdesigned, built, tested and installed SSL from the US Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren (NSWCDD), which leads all the service’s directed energy weapons (DEW) activities. The US Navy released few details about the ODIN that is focused on protecting ships from harassment by unmanned aerial systems, a problem that has increased firmly in the recent years.

In early Q3 2022, the Preble Arleigh Burke Flight IIA class destroyer returned to service after an Aegis modernization activity including the installation of the first HELIOS (High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical dazzler and Surveillance) system. The latter is planned to conduct at sea testing in FY 23, starting from Q4 22. Developed by prime contractor Lockheed Martin, the latter is the Increment 1 of the multi-increment Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS) acquisition programme that leverages mature technology to deliver proven laser weapon capability to the US Navy fleet. The ultimate goal of SNLWS is to integrate counter-anti-ship cruise missile (C-ASCM) defence capability, in accordance with the Chief of Naval Operations NAVPLAN. The HELIOS effort was focused on rapid development and rapid fielding of a 60+ kW-class high-energy laser - with growth potential up to 150 kW - to address AntiSurface Warfare and C-ISR with the ability

The Meteor is equipped with a solid fuel, variable flow, ducted rocket ramjet propulsion to provide the missile with a thrust all the way to target intercept. This, according to MBDA, provides the “largest no-escape zone of any air-to-air missile”. © MBDA

The HELIOS effort was focused on rapid development and rapid fielding of a 60 kW-class high-energy laser - with growth potential up to 150 kW – to address Anti-Surface Warfare and C-ISR with the ability to dazzle and destroy UAVs and defeat Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIAC) while being integrated into the AEGIS Combat System (ACS) on a Flight IIA destroyer. © US Navy

to dazzle and destroy UAVs and defeat Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIAC) while being integrated into the AEGIS Combat System (ACS) on a Flight IIA destroyer. According to Lockheed Martin the Mk 5 Mod 0 HELIOS, as the US Navy designates it, was designed for continuous operations using available ship power without the need for an energy magazine. Being fully integrated into the ACS, it provides improved layered defence and response options to prevent escalation while defending ships. During previous testing at ground-based facilities the HELIOS demonstrated, according to Lockheed Martin, that it provides a solid foundation for incremental delivery of SNLWS C-ASCM capability by repeatedly hitting a high-speed target at tactically extended ranges, closing the fire control loop on a track provided by the US Navy Surface Combat System Center’s ACS after achieving coarse and fine optical tracking. The HELIOS demonstrated potential for this additional capability due to the design flexibility in its scalable system architecture. It can scale to 120 kW and higher within existing laser weapon system (LWS) allocations for space, weight and power (SWAP), which presents a viable back-fit opportunity for today’s fleet of combatant platforms as well as for future new construction ship classes such as the FFG-62 and the DDG(X).

Defeating ASCMs with a laser effector presents, according to the US Navy, several technical challenges (e.g. high atmospheric turbulence, target acquisition and identification, target tracking, aim point maintenance, automatic aim point placement, jitter control). The High Energy Laser Counter ASCM Project (HELCAP) will assess, develop, experiment, and demonstrate the various laser weapon system technologies and methods of implementation (e.g. laser sources, mission analysis, lethality, advanced beam control with atmospheric mitigation, target and tracking sensors, control systems) required to defeat ASCMs in a crossing engagement, says the same service FY 23 budget request documentation. The HELCAP is an initiative that provides a flexible prototype system for government experimentation and demonstration of a high-energy laser system capable of defeating ASCMs. The US NSWCDD leads the integration of all components of the prototype and auxiliary systems, the latter

An aerial target hit by the Layered Laser Defense (LLD), the weapon designed and built by Lockheed Martin to serve as a multi-domain, multi-platform demonstration system, was tested as part of an ONR effort at the US Army’s High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. © ONR

developed and provided by both the Center and the industries, and perform counter ASCM detect to defeat experimentation and demonstrations at government test sites starting from the current FY 22. Key elements of the prototype system include the beam control test bed, a 300 kW+ class laser source, prototype control system, and auxiliary prime power and cooling, according to the US Navy documentation. The undisclosed industry provider of the beam control test bed was selected through a competitive process and is being designed to accept technology insertion from other industry providers. The 300+ kW class laser source will be acquired by selecting one of the laser sources being developed under an OSD laser scaling initiative and adapting it for transport and interface with the other elements of the prototype system. The FY 23 budget request supports systems engineering, mission analysis, completion of the integration of major components of a HELCAP prototype system, and performance of beam control tracker and adaptive optics experimentation and demonstrations. Planning and preparations for FY 23 system experimentation and ASCM detect to defeat demonstrations utilizing the prototype system, static and dynamic ground targets, and low-cost unmanned aerial targets will take place. FY 23 activities will culminate with this demonstration and preparation for targeting and tracking limited maritime experimentation, planned for FY 24. In April 2022 the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced the completion in February 2022 of the first test where the US Navy used an all-electric, high-energy laser weapon to defeat a target representing a subsonic cruise missile in flight. Known as the Layered Laser Defense (LLD), the weapon was designed and built by Lockheed Martin to serve as a multi-domain, multiplatform demonstration system. According to the ONR, it can counter UAVs and fastattack boats with a high-power laser and also use its high-resolution telescope to track in-bound air threats, support combat identification and conduct targets battle damage assessment. The drone shootdown by the LLD was part of an ONR test at the US Army’s High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The demonstration was a partnership between the ONR, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Research and Engineering) and Lockheed Martin.

EUROPE

France

In June 2022, the French General Armaments Directorate (DGA) notified the ‘Laser de Lutte Anti-Drones’ (L2AD) contract (Antidrone laser) to CILAS, the latter majority shares being close to acquisition by MBDA and Safran. With a maximum amount of

The middle power HELMA-P solid laser system developed by CILAS is planned to be tested on board a French Navy platform, with feasibility tests to be conducted in 2022. © French MoD

€10 million, the L2AD contract covers the acquisition of an operational prototype of a HEL system capable of identifying, tracking and neutralizing mini- and micro-drones. According to the DGA, the L2AD contract aims to deploy this prototype during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The contract also includes three main feasibility, development and technological maturation studies connected to different applications. One will ensure the parallel rise in maturity of the laser technology and will give way to a demonstrator on a vehicle; another targets the development and experimentation of an operational prototype, from the HELMA-P (High-energy Laser for Multiple Application – Power) demonstrator, successfully evaluated in 2020-2021, and the final study aims at the adaptation of the HELMA-P on a naval platform, with first feasibility tests at sea planned for the current year. Developed by CILAS in cooperation with ArianeGroup, the middle power HELMA-P is the first member of a family of HEL, which is planned to also include the high power HELMA-XP, directed energy laser weapon. Designed to engage and counter Class 1 UAVs, the HELMA-P has been extensively tested in 2021 at the French MoD’s Biscarrosse test center during a five weeks period, in which the laser weapon shot down 40 drones with a 100% hit rate up to a range of 1 km (limited by test range procedures). More recently, in March 2022, the HELMA-P was deployed at the Italian MoD PISQ test range in Sardinia, to take part in the NATO NNTEX-22C operational exercise, where it was operated by military personnel, once again demonstrating its efficiency under safety conditions. The ‘multi-kW’ laser-equipped 80 kg turret featuring an ArianeGroup LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) is expected to be installed on board a French Navy platform this year for testing, opening the way to further potential customized developments. The French industry is also working on the higher power HELMA XP to be available, according to CILAS, in 2027. Its programme is characterized by the development of the laser source for military applications with an innovative coherent beam combination approach to deliver maximum laser power density onto the target, which will allow to employ it for both C-RAM (Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar) and C-UAS operations.

Germany

In January 2021, the Germany’s Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) announced to have

According to the BAAINBw, the laser weapon demonstrator developed by MBDA and Rheinmetall is planned to be installed on the Sachsen air defence frigate in 2022 and tested at sea. © Rheinmetall Defence In January 2021, the Germany’s Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support announced to have awarded a consortium consisting of MBDA Deutschland GmbH and Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH a contract to fabricate, integrate and support testing of a laser weapon demonstrator in the maritime environment. © MBDA

Under the EU Preparation Action on Defence Research (PADR) initiative, a European industrial team coordinated by CILAS and including other 15 entities between companies and research institutes and agencies is working on the TALOS (Tactical Advanced Laser Optical System) programme that was launched in September 2019. © TALOS programme office

awarded a consortium consisting of MBDA Deutschland GmbH and Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH a contract to fabricate, integrate and support the testing of a laser weapon demonstrator in the maritime environment. The order value is in the low double-digit million Euro range. According to the two companies’ joint press statement, the demonstrator was to be fabricated, tested and integrated by late 2021. According to the BAAINBw, the system was planned to be installed on the Sachsen frigate in 2022 and tested at sea. The aim of those tests in the North and Baltic Seas was to find out to what extent the current state of the art has proven itself in the harsh maritime environment. The tests therefore focus on the mechanical stability of the optical systems and the precision with which the demonstrator can track targets on land, on water and in the air. The demonstrator is also to be used to test important aspects such as the interaction and function of the sensor suite, combat management system and effector as well as rules of engagement. Work was shared on a roughly equal basis between the two contracted companies. MBDA Deutschland was responsible for tracking, the operator’s console and linking the laser weapon demonstrator to the command-and-control system. Rheinmetall was in charge of the laser weapon station, the beam guiding system, cooling, and integration of the laser weapon system into the project container of the laser source demonstrator. The Bundeswehr ordered in advance a high-energy laser light source for this demonstrator. Test results will determine, according to the BAAINBw,

The TALOS programme regards the developing and demonstration of some of the most critical laser DEW elements paving the way to the design and build of an EU high-power (over 100 kW) laser effector to be integrated in military applications, including naval platforms. © TALOS programme office

In September 2021, the UK MoD awarded a domestic industrial team led by Thales UK and including BAE Systems, Chess Dynamics, Vision4CE and IPG, a contract for the development and delivery of a direct laser energy weapon demonstrator for user experimentation on a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate starting in 2023. © Thales

The Dragonfire programme was awarded by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) on January 2017 to a consortium led by MBDA and including QinetiQ, Leonardo, Arke, BAE Systems, Marshall and GKN, for the demonstration of the potential of Laser Direct Energy Weapons (LDEW). © Leonardo

whether the Bundeswehr will continue to pursue this technology or whether further research and development work is required.

Europe

Under the EU Preparation Action on Defence Research (PADR) initiative, a European industrial team coordinated by CILAS is working on the TALOS (Tactical Advanced Laser Optical System) programme that was launched in September 2019. The consortium gathers 16 companies and defence research institutions including TNO (Netherlands), Leonardo (Italy), DLR (Germany), MBDA France, Erdyn Consultants (France), IPE (Czech Republic), CMI Defence (Belgium), Université de Limoges (France), Military University of Technology (Poland), AMS Technologies (Poland), QinetiQ (UK), Airbus Defence and Space (Germany), AERTEC solutions (Spain), ONERA (France) and STELAR (Germany). It is currently working on developing and demonstrate some of the most critical laser DEW elements paving the way to the design and build of an EU highpower (over 100 kW) laser effector to be integrated in military applications, including

naval platforms, in the next decade. The technologies to be demonstrated include elements of the high-power laser source, atmospheric turbulence compensation and precision target tracking, and laser pointing systems.

UK

In September 2021 the UK MoD awarded a domestic industrial team led by Thales UK and including BAE Systems, Chess Dynamics, Vision4CE and IPG, an undisclosed value contract for the development and delivery of a direct laser energy weapon demonstrator for user experimentation on a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate starting in 2023. Under the UK MoD’s Project Tracey, the industrial team should have gone beyond the experimental phase to take laser capabilities from the laboratory to an operational Royal Navy ship. The project will test the integration and delivery of these types of weapon system and their concept of operation in real-world environments. Experiments will include detecting, tracking, engaging and countering UAVs, as well as other sea targets, according to a Thales statement. The experimentation will focus on operation and maintenance and will provide invaluable knowledge, information and experience to assess whether Laser DEW can be fully embedded on other defence assets in the future.

This follows the previous Dragonfire programme, which was awarded by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) on January 2017 to an industrial team led by MBDA for the demonstration of the potential of Laser DEWs. The Dragonfire consortium, a joint industry and UK MoD collaboration between MBDA, Leonardo, QinetiQ and Dstl, has brought together the best of the UK industry expertise to deliver the highly challenging and complex LDEW Capability Demonstrator Programme, to mature the key technologies for a high energy defensive laser weapon system in the 50 kW class, and to develop a UK sovereign capability. Last July, MBDA announced the successful beginning of a series of trials to prove the accuracy and power of the novel laser weapon, having overcome disruptions due to the COVID and technical challenges. Conducted at low power, these trials proved the system can successfully track air and sea targets with exceptionally high accuracy. The system employs a low power QinetiQ laser, Leonardo’s beam director and MBDAs image processing and control technology to facilitate the ultra-precise “fine” pointing and tracking accuracy, which will be required to generate the damage effect when a high-powered laser will be used. Other sub-systems including C2, Effector Management System (EMS) and “coarse” tracking – turning the laser towards the target – were also proved in the trial. This success, according to MBDA, has paved the way for the next phase of the trials that will deliver a first for UK industry when carrying out a static high power laser trial, while maintaining aimpoint accuracy. The next step would then look to combine the outcomes of these two trials, pairing the recently proven tracking accuracy and the high power laser, by engaging targets in operationally representative scenarios. The envisaged UK sovereign capability was designed to provide short-range air defence and close-in protection for naval vessels using a range of different effectors depending on the tactical scenario. These include identifying, tracking and deterring a potential threat by dazzling its targeting sensors, as well as damaging or even destroying the incoming threat.

ISRAEL

In February 2022, the Israeli Defense Force showcased the capability to lock-on and destroy rockets, mortars and a drone with a laser DEW. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced that alongside the Israeli’s Ministry of Defense’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) it has successfully completed a series of ground-breaking tests with a high-

power laser interception system against steep-track threats. These tests were the first phase of a multi-year programme led by the DDR&D and defence industries. Rafael’s Iron Beam, as the high-power laser DEW employed during the tests was named, is a 100 kW class high-energy laser designed to intercept a wide range of threats from a distance of few hundred meters up to several kilometers. It can be integrated on multiple platforms and may be a complementary HEL interceptor to any multilayer defence network. In addition to the more capable Iron Beam, Rafael is also developing the Lite Beam, a 7.5 kW HEL interceptor for C-mUAVs and ground targets such as IEDs and UXOs, neutralizing targets from a distance of a few hundred meters up to 2,000 meters. According to Rafael, the first proven prototype of the Lite Beam is already available. The unveiling of such systems opens to other potential applications, such as naval ones, even if so far no indication has been released about such use.

In addition to the more capable Iron Beam laser direct energy weapon, Rafael is also developing the Lite Beam, a 7.5kW HEL interceptor for C-mUAVs and ground targets such as IEDs and UXOs, neutralizing them from a distance of a few hundred meters up to 2,000 meters. © Rafael In April 2022, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced that alongside the Israeli’s Ministry of Defense’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development have successfully completed a series of ground-breaking tests with the Iron Beam high-power laser interception system. © Rafael