Air defence of the future: experts spoke about the P-HEL laser system, which has already proved its effectiveness in the fight against drones

In May 2024, it became known that American servicemen in the Middle East for the first time managed to shoot down several enemy drones using laser weapons.

All information about the new weapon is carefully classified, but journalists of Popular Mechanics talked to experts and found out how this technology works and what is its impact on the modern battlefield.

Here's What We Know

Scientists and engineers have long tried to make the concept of laser weapons a reality, but for a long time it did not work. Now the U.S. has more than 30 different programmes related to the development of powerful laser weapons and, finally, the first positive results were given by the Palletised High Energy Laser System (P-HEL).

According to Popular Mechanics, it was P-HEL that shot down the drones in May 2024. At the heart of the installation is the LOCUST laser system, which is manufactured by BlueHalo. The 1.5 tonne rig is equipped with a laser emitter and is controlled using a controller from an Xbox game console. The unit can rotate 360 degrees, providing full perimeter coverage.

The LOCUST produces 20 kW of power - a small amount compared to other complexes that produce up to 100 kW. The main advantage of the P-HEL is its unprecedented accuracy and focus retention on a moving target. The laser beam is aimed at a point no larger than 0.5 cm in diameter and burns through any material, including steel half a centimetre thick (note that drones are not made of steel, the example is given only to demonstrate the beam's capabilities).

In addition, the P-HEL rig is equipped with advanced AI that detects and classifies drones and "tells" the system which part of the drone to aim the beam at in order to effectively hit the target. For example, a quadrocopter only needs to burn through the rotor, while for impact drones, for example, a laser beam can cut the wing.

An important advantage of laser technology is its relative cheapness. The number of "shots" is limited only by the availability of electricity, which in any case is cheaper than ammunition for rocket launchers. As a reminder, a single shot from the Stinger costs up to $500,000, while a missile for a Patriot SAM system costs $3mn.

Experts do not doubt that laser weapons will prove their effectiveness in the fight against drones.

The US plans to arm every air defence platoon with such systems, and defence companies are preparing to scale up production of laser systems.