So why doesn't the U.S. Navy have a similar HEL to DragonFire? It isn't actually for lack of trying – and the laser technology that once existed only in science fiction is slowly becoming reality. That means, someday soon, the U.S. Navy could be an absolute laser powerhouse.
Where Are the Lasers Ask U.S. Navy Official? The United States Navy warships operating in the Red Sea have come under fire missiles fired by Iranian-back Houthi rebels in Yemen, as well as attacks by drones. The United States Navy's sailors have successfully downed these threats with a variety of air defense systems – but it has shed some light on what is missing.
The U.S. Navy and the Lasers
"When I was in Bahrain as [the Destroyer Squadron 50 commanding officer] 10 years ago, the afloat staging base USS Ponce had a laser on it," Vice Admiral Brendan McLane told reporters ahead of the Surface Navy Association conference this month, the Navy Times reported. "We're 10 years down the road and we still don't have something we can field?"
As the Navy Times also noted, "High-energy lasers, or HELs, and high-power microwaves, or HPMs, would offer the surface fleet another weapon for countering overhead threats, including unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets. Despite decades of research and development and billions of dollars spent for a threat like the one the Navy now faces in the Red Sea, such systems have yet to enter the surface fleet and broader military in a meaningful way, according to outside analysts and service leaders."
It should be further added that McLane's comments come as the Royal Navy recently tested its DragonFire platform, which was able to strike a £1 coin from a distance of up to a kilometer away, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced.
In addition to its extreme accuracy, the UK's DragonFire platform can engage targets at the speed of light, while its intense beam of light can literally cut through the target, leading to structural failure or more impactful results – such as if an inbound missile's warhead is targeted.
So why doesn't the U.S. Navy have a similar HEL to DragonFire? It isn't actually for lack of trying – and the technology that once existed only in the realm of science fiction is slowly becoming reality. That means, someday soon, the U.S. Navy could be a real laser powerhouse.