Raytheon laser takes out aerial target in groundbreaking trial with British Army

Raytheon has fired a laser against a quadcopter UAS from a British Army vehicle using soldiers trained on the weapon’s targeting and tracking technologies, an exercise described by the company as a first.

The test involved Raytheon’s High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) as part of the UK Ministry of Defence’s Land Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) demonstrator programme.

The test took place at a military range in Wales using a British Army Wolfhound armoured personnel carrier.

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The system operates by directing a beam of energy toward its target, using advanced sensors and tracking systems to maintain lock-on and accuracy in real time.

According to Raytheon “it has proved effective in real-world conditions, validating its potential as a game-changing technology in modern warfare”.

Earlier this year, Raytheon’s HELWS was the first laser weapon integrated and fired from a land vehicle in the UK. That happened as part of a joint programme between Raytheon UK and Team Hersa, the joint LDEW enterprise between the Defence and Science Laboratory and Defence Equipment and Support.

Matt Cork, head of Team Hersa, said: “By integrating advanced directed energy technologies onto armoured platforms, we’re not only proving the feasibility of these game-changing systems but also accelerating their path to operational readiness.”

Other companies involved include Fraser Nash, NP Aerospace, LumOptica, Blighter Surveillance Systems and Cambridge Pixel. The work is occurring under a £16.8 million (US$21.5 million) contract awarded by Team Hersa.

The next steps in the project include producing learning from experience for the whole project, and using that to inform future LDEW requirements for the army.