In February, Raytheon introduced their laser weapon system on their website. The company also released a mock-up film showing how its laser weapon system, as well as its high-powered microwave weapon system, could defeat a swarm of incoming drones. The scene has the feel of a science fiction movie.
In the official website, Raytheon presents it like this.
“In 2019, the U.S. Air Force deployed its first High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) overseas, which has now been in operation for nearly 4,000 hours. It is now operationally certified, and multiple additional systems have been fielded.
The right defense against a variety of targets
Raytheon’s laser weapon systems can be used on land, at sea and in the air, providing 360-degree coverage to protect bases, airfields, stadiums and other high-value military or civilian targets. The system’s open architecture easily adapts to mission requirements, and our ruggedized package means it can be used as a stand-alone system or quickly installed on a variety of military platforms. Raytheon has successfully completed full-scale installation and testing on small Army vehicles and Apache attack helicopters.
Cost-effective solutions for small UAS
With a low cost-per-shot ratio, high-energy lasers are an affordable and viable option for protecting military and critical infrastructure and rapidly defeating threats. The laser offers a near-infinite number of shots, minimal logistics and precise accuracy with very little collateral damage, making it an affordable alternative to conventional munitions.”
Photo: Raytheon’s PHASER high-power microwave system
For the “Phase Gun” PHASER high-power microwave system featured in the film, Raytheon previously described the “Phase Gun” high-power microwave system as using directed energy to shoot down individual or swarms of drones at the speed of light.
In the 2018 military exercise, the “phase cannon” system had shot down 33 drones.
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