Army tests laser-directed energy weapon for drone defense

directed energy
Photo credit U.S. Army photo by Jim Kendall

As war continues to change, the U.S. Army realizes that it must change with it. Recent developments in Ukraine, Russia, and Iran have demonstrated not just how drones but how drone swarms can be used in conflict.

With these developments in mind, in the U.S. Army, one of the big concerns over the last few years has been counter-drone capabilities, more formally known in the military as counter-UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems). One of the ways the Army is looking to protect its ground troops from drone swarms in the future is with the Directed Energy Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense system.

In a recent exercise at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the short-range directed energy short range system was mounted on a Stryker alongside the pre-existing M-SHORAD kinetic system, which was intended to demonstrate a layered UAS defense system that could take out both short-range and medium-range drone swarms.

"The Army's pursuit of DE weapons for air defense stretches back decades, initially focused on strategic missile defense. However, the recent proliferation of inexpensive and readily available drones has shifted the focus to short-range air defense, where lasers and high-powered microwaves offer a potentially game-changing advantage," an Army press release about the exercise explains.

During the exercise, soldiers worked on establishing new tactics for drone defense, as well as testing the functionality of existing systems. The troops involved had to figure out how to prioritize targets, correctly identify them, and then destroy them in varied weather conditions.

Featured Image Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Jim Kendall