Raytheon UK, Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Defense Equipment and Support (DE&S) have successfully tested Raytheon's High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) integrated onto a British Army combat vehicle, the first test of its kind in the UK.
This ground-breaking test, conducted at Dstl's range in Porton Down, saw the laser weapon fired at full power whilst integrated onto a British Army Wolfhound armored vehicle. The lightweight, portable HELWS is the first laser weapon integrated on a land vehicle to be fired in the UK.
This milestone marks a major leap forward in the UK Ministry of Defense's Land Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) Demonstrator program. 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 defense systems, including radar, command and control and other platforms.
The Wolfhound integration successfully fused the proven capability of Raytheon's High-Energy Laser Weapon System with cutting edge UK intellectual property from Frazer Nash, NP Aerospace, LumOptica, Blighter Surveillance Systems, and Cambridge Pixel.
Team Hersa, which pairs Dstl's technical expertise with the best acquisition skills from DE&S, is managing delivery of the demonstrators and is responsible for preparing defense for the introduction of innovative weapons systems, ensuring the UK Armed Forces can successfully exploit this potentially game changing capability at pace.
Raytheon's HELWS is certified for use in combat with US 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 UK will allow British Army soldiers to familiarize themselves with the system and refine requirements for future capability.
