USAF calls down power of ZEUS to destroy explosives
Parsons is claiming to be the first company to receive a production contract from the US DoD for a ground-based directed-energy system, with a $50.6 million award for the Recovery of Airbase Denied by Ordnance (RADBO) system.
The USAF will receive 13 RADBO systems under the six-year contract.
Parsons will make, integrate and sustain the RADBO units, each of which comprises the ZEUS laser and an interrogation arm assembly mounted on an MRAP vehicle.
ZEUS is designed to destroy unexploded ordnance with extreme accuracy in previously denied areas at ranges of up to 300m to improve the safety of deployed warfighters, Parsons noted in a 1 October statement.
It added that the laser is powerful enough to detonate small submunitions from cluster bombs, landmines, general-purpose bombs and thick-cased artillery rounds.
RADBO will therefore ‘greatly increase safe and effective explosive ordnance disposal operations’, said Hector Cuevas, Parsons executive vice president of missile defence and C5ISR.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Estonia opts for smart, adaptable and cooperative solutions in the face of Russian threat]()
Estonia opts for smart, adaptable and cooperative solutions in the face of Russian threat
Estonian-made equipment is being put through the toughest of evaluations in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers resisting the full-scale Russian invasion which began in 2022. The country has long seen the threat and is continuing to adapt for the future.
-
![UK faces cost of balancing defensive capabilities abroad as Iran conflict widens]()
UK faces cost of balancing defensive capabilities abroad as Iran conflict widens
The UK has recently deployed a Type 45 destroyer to Cyprus and has bolstered its presence in the Middle East in recent weeks with supporting air power to protect neighbouring countries’ air defences.
-
![White House calls on Pentagon contractors to “rapidly and aggressively” boost weapon production]()
White House calls on Pentagon contractors to “rapidly and aggressively” boost weapon production
Intended to sustain Operation Epic Fury against Iran, efforts to increase the production of weapons and ammunition could expose long-standing weaknesses in the US defence industrial base.
-
![India’s strategic defence footprint expansion could be accelerated by Iran-Israel conflict]()
India’s strategic defence footprint expansion could be accelerated by Iran-Israel conflict
The latest escalation between Iran and Israel could shape New Delhi’s next-generation shield as India deepens cooperation with Israel on missile defence and drone production.
-
![Is the US magazine of air defence interceptors deep enough to sustain a long campaign against Iran?]()
Is the US magazine of air defence interceptors deep enough to sustain a long campaign against Iran?
The Pentagon spent a considerable number of THAAD and SM-3 rounds to defend against Iranian missiles in 2025 and has not fully replenished its reserves.
