The U.S. Navy has developed a directed-energy weapon that can intercept unmanned drones and possibly cruise missiles while enhancing naval operations in combat areas.

The Navy has disclosed that the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Preble successfully test-fired its High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system to take out an aerial target drone in Fiscal Year 2024.

The U.S. Navy has revealed that it tested out its High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) by shooting an aerial target

The undated image shows the U.S. Navy testing a weapon system known as HELIOS from the USS Preble destroyer in the middle of the ocean.

The U.S. Navy’s High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system faced its first airborne target during a test in 2024, a first-time for the HELIOS program that will help the U.S. Navy inform other programs under the Directed Energy and Electric Weapon System effort.

The United States Navy released the first real image of the HELIOS, an advanced laser weapon system installed on warships.

The future of war is upon us. However, while many are worried about the implications of AI and drones changing the landscape of conflicts the world over, the U.S. Navy is now testing its newest piece of high-tech weaponry: a laser.

In the vast expanse of the ocean, a streak of white light pierces the sky. It’s not a natural phenomenon, but a weapon — a high-energy laser fired from the deck of a U.S. Navy destroyer. This is HELIOS,

Combining a high-energy laser with an optical dazzler, HELIOS can both destroy and disable threats, as well as disrupt enemy sensors.

A new photo from the United States military shows the successful use of a laser weapon made to destroy drones. The U.S. Center for Countermeasures’ released the photo of the USS Preble using the laser weapon,