First Firing of Raytheon’s High-Energy Laser Weapon System from British Military Vehicle

Raytheon U.K., in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), has tested the High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) mounted on a British Army combat vehicle, marking the first-ever integration and testing of its kind in the United Kingdom.

This test, conducted at Dstl's range in Porton Down, saw the laser weapon fired at full power whilst integrated onto a British Army Wolfhound armoured vehicle. The lightweight, portable HELWS is the first laser weapon integrated on a land vehicle to be fired in the U.K. 

This milestone marks a major leap forward in the U.K. Ministry of Defence's Land Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) Demonstrator programme. The increasing prevalence, proliferation and evolution of drone warfare makes the rapid adoption of counter-UAS technologies ever more important.

This variant of the HELWS has been designed to defeat NATO class 1 drones whilst being easily compatible within existing air defence systems, including radar, command and control and other platforms.

"The Raytheon high energy laser weapon system can track and engage targets whilst mounted on a vehicle," said James Gray, chief executive and managing director of Raytheon U.K.

Raytheon's HELWS is certified for use in combat with U.S. forces, with multiple systems now in service. The system has logged more than 40,000 testing hours and downed more than 400 targets.

The next phase of testing for the U.K. will allow British Army soldiers to familiarise themselves with the system and refine requirements for future capability.