The United States Navy has released a photo of one of its warships firing what appears to be a high-powered laser weapon.
The image was published in the Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation's 2024 report. The report shares that the image shows the High Energy Laser aboard the USS Preble being fired at a drone in a test of the weapon.
The location of the ship at the time of the firing and any other details have not been shared at this time.
Footage of the test firing has also been released, and has gone viral on social media.
The report noted that if the High Energy Laser weapons were to be tested further, the Department of Defense would require new training ranges.
The facilities would need to have HEL-specific safety equipment and the proper radar tools to collect data and assess the performance of the laser weapon.
Naval News was the first to report on the test, noting that further laser weapons are expected to be tested on US Navy ships in 2025.
In total, the DOT&E's fiscal report shared that the Center for Countermeasures conducted 32 tests of different weapons and aircraft in 2024.