directed energy weapons – The Defense Post

May- 2026 -

13 May

211214-M-HB658-1322 GULF OF ADEN (Dec. 14, 2021) Amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) conducts a high-energy laser weapon system demonstration on a static surface training target, Dec. 14, while sailing in the Gulf of Aden. During the demonstration, the Solid State Laser – Technology Maturation Laser Weapons System Demonstrator Mark 2 MOD 0 aboard Portland successfully engaged the training target. The photograph was captured utilizing a short wave infrared lens and optical filter. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Donald Holbert)

US Navy Opens Laser Weapons Course for Sailors

The US Navy has launched a new training program for sailors operating laser weapons at its Directed Energy Systems Integration Laboratory in California.

8 May

Asia Pacific

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

India’s New Laser Weapon Raises the Stakes: 300kW

A new 300-kilowatt directed-energy weapon under development in India is designed to neutralize emerging threats at distances of up to 20 kilometers.

8 May

Technology

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

New ‘HADES’ Laser System From US Firm Delivers 70kW Firepower

US firm nLIGHT is working to counter emerging airborne threats in contested environments with HADES, a new high-energy laser system designed to deliver 70 kilowatts of power.

7 May

Americas

Christine Casimiro

AV LOCUST Laser Completes Counter-Drone Test

Aerovironment’s LOCUST laser weapon has executed a “first-of-its-kind” counter-drone test with the Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration.

4 May

Americas

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

ThinKom Unveils ‘Alecto’ High-Power Microwave Weapon to Take Down Drone Swarms

In a battlefield increasingly shaped by drone swarms, California’s ThinKom Solutions is responding with a new high-power microwave system designed to counter coordinated unmanned threats.

Apr- 2026 -

23 April

Americas

Christine Casimiro

AV LOCUST Laser Zaps Drones in USS George H.W. Bush Live-Fire Test

AeroVironment has demonstrated the counter-drone capabilities of its LOCUST laser weapon system aboard the US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in a live-fire test.

Mar- 2026 -

27 March

Air

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

Elbit Develops Airborne Laser Weapon for Helicopters and Fighter Jets

Israel is bringing directed-energy weapons into the air, with Elbit Systems developing high-powered lasers for military aircraft under a new defense contract.

25 March

Air

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

America’s Microwave Weapon Now Paired With Self-Driving Truck for Drone Defense

Epirus, General Dynamics Land Systems, and Kodiak AI are bringing autonomy and high-power microwave effects together in a mobile system designed to counter evolving drone threats.

25 March

Air

Akhsan Erido Elezhar

‘$5-Per-Shot’: AeroVironment Debuts New AI-Enabled Laser to Shred Drones

AeroVironment is pushing deeper into anti-drone defense with a new ‘$5-per-shot’ laser weapon built to burn down airborne threats in contested environments.

17 March

Air