Raytheon UK’s High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) has completed a successful live-firing with the British Army directed against moving aerial targets, the company announced on 11 December 2024.
The recent trial, which was conducted in October 2024 at the Radnor Range in Wales, is the latest stage of the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) Land Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) demonstrator programme and saw British soldiers operating Raytheon’s HELWS by successfully tracking and neutralising moving mini-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The experiment marks the first time the British Army has tested a high-energy laser weapon mounted on an armoured vehicle, in this case a Wolfhound 6×6 protected patrol vehicle. The same vehicle/HELWS first fired its laser to successfully neutralise targets back in mid-2024, but at the time was not in the hands of British Army personnel. In the latest trials soldiers from the army’s 16th Regiment Royal Artillery were trained on the weapon’s targeting and tracking technologies. The regiment is British Army’s only one equipped with a medium-range air defence capability, its mission being to protect ground units from attack by enemy air threats.
The vehicle-mounted laser trials are part of a joint programme between Raytheon UK and Team Hersa: the joint LDEW enterprise between the UK MoD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) organisation.
The HELWS operates by directing an intensely amplified beam of light toward its target, using advanced sensors and tracking systems to maintain lock-on and accuracy in real time. It has already proved effective in real-world conditions, validating its potential as a game-changing technology in modern warfare.
“Our High-Energy Laser Weapon System has been used in operations globally, and now the British Army is experimenting with this game-changing capability”, James Gray, chief executive and managing director of Raytheon UK, was quoted as saying in a Raytheon press release. “The success of this test is the result of the skill, dedication, and vision of our scientists and engineers, who have collaborated with the British Army to help fulfil its commitment to staying at the forefront of technological innovation.”
Matt Cork, head of Team Hersa, added, “This milestone demonstrates the power of collaboration between Dstl, DE&S, industry partners and the British Army. By integrating advanced directed-energy technologies onto armoured platforms, we’re not only proving the feasibility of these game-changing systems, but also accelerating their path to operational readiness. It’s an exciting step forward in redefining the future of defence capability.”
In a video about the latest trials posted by DE&S on X/Twitter, technicians noted they were particularly impressed with how quickly the HELWS was able to take down its mini-UAV targets. Given that a laser weapon essentially has a limitless magazine compared to missile and gun-based systems, the HELWS thus shows significant potential as an effective counter to swarming UAVs as well as other air targets.
