Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
In 2021, for the first time, the U.S. is expected to integrate a directed energy weapon system into a guided missile destroyer, USNI News reported.
“We are going to burn the boats if you will and move forward with this technology,” Rear Adm. Ron Boxall said during the Booz, Allen, Hamilton, and CSBA Directed Energy Summit 2019, describing a scene right out of Star Wars on the wide open sea.
The Navy will install a High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-dazzler (HELIOS) with surveillance sensors aboard an unspecified Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA destroyer, in the next several years, Boxall said.
HELIOS is a directed energy weapon that can burn small speed boats, similar to the ones Iran deploys in the Persian Gulf, and can also down unmanned aerial vehicles.
If the Navy wants to avoid an international incident, the weapon can “dazzle” a UAV’s electro-optical sensors, effectively destroying the sensor without taking down the aircraft. Developed by defense contractor Lockheed Martin under a $150 million contract, the 60-kilowatt HELIOS system will be the most powerful and first direct energy weapon to be deployed on a guided missile destroyer.
According to USNI News, there have been several 30-kW demonstrator systems deployed with other types of warships since 2014.
HELIOS will be fully integrated into the Aegis combat system of the Navy’s surface fleet. The weapon’s sensors will enhance Aegis’s ability to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets.
“The problem I have today is the integration of that system into my existing combat system. If I’m going to burn the boats, I’m going to replace something I have today with that system doing that mission with these weapons.”
“If I have this system that can kill and I have a system that can actually sense, then I have to make sure it integrates with the other things I have on my ship that can sense and kill, namely the Aegis weapon system,” Boxall said.
As laser technology matures, direct energy weapons are expected to be deployed on all of the Navy’s guided missile destroyers by the mid to late 2020s. On a long-term view, lasers are expected to replace conventional weapons because of its low cost per shot rate.
Meaning we Americans are winning again because we are a winner nation. A passenger boat or ferry or M-17 passenger airplane anywhere in the world can suddenly break into fire day or night without anyone seeing or knowing why. Everybody are going to feel fear and respect an American when we are passing by……………………..LOL.
Do we see an ordinary misile comming. No we dont.
Yes, why not that too.
” in the next several years”
He probably means in the next several centuries.
Until then, this garbage is supposed to make the us public believe that the USN ships can defend against hypersonic weapons.
“during the Booz”….well they sound like that have been on the razzle, drunk moronic war mongers.
As for this laser, is it not just a bigger version of the illegal laser pens we buy in Spain ?.
Photonic weapons are already more developed then what is publicly shared. Most nations lag far behind, but a few nations (such as the US, China, UK) are plowing ahead in secret, Make no mistake anyone where, Photonic weapons are not only the future, they are already here. But no open Photonic weapon race has been started yet cause no nation has lost solders to them yet. Once the killing is started with Photonic weapons, their will be no putting the Monkey back into the bottle. Then the Photon-based weapons race will really take off. The photon side arms already exist, though not yet distributed to troops yet. But they are already ready for mass production. Mean time research just keeps making them more reliable and better. Bullets are slow and load and heavy. But Photons are fast as light, quiet, invisible and with their new Lithium-Air batters they are lightweight and take in electrons from the air to stay charged much longer. All of this already exist.