#directed-energy

All articles tagged with "directed-energy"

The Pentagon Wants to Field Laser Weapons at Scale Within 3 Years (via laserwars.net)

Pentagon Says Laser Weapons Are Near Scaled Demonstration

The Pentagon’s top research official says the science behind directed-energy weapons is largely settled, with the next challenge being mass-producible systems and a major demonstration tied to Golden Dome.

Key Takeaways

The Pentagon says laser weapon science is largely done and engineering scale is now the main hurdle.
Directed energy is tied to the planned Golden Dome missile shield.

DT Editorial Team·May 31, 2026·via fastcompany.com

Congress ties Trump-class battleship work to weapon readiness

A House defense bill draft would block construction of the first Trump-class battleship until the Navy certifies that its planned advanced weapons are mature enough for the lead ship.

Key Takeaways

House lawmakers want the Navy to certify the Trump class's weapons are mature before lead-ship construction can begin.
The draft language reflects concern over relying on railguns, high-power lasers, and other advanced systems that are not fully proven.

DT Editorial Team·May 27, 2026·via twz.com

The Navy Wants More Shipboard Lasers, but Power Limits Remain the Barrier

U.S. Navy leaders are again making the case for directed-energy weapons, but their own testimony shows the central obstacle has not changed: current surface ships still struggle to provide the power and cooling laser war

Key Takeaways

The Navy says laser weapons are important for future missile defense and preserving VLS capacity.
Current surface ships still face serious power and cooling limits.

DT Editorial Team·May 23, 2026·via defensenews.com

Pentagon Signals a Major New Push in Directed-Energy Weapons Research

A preliminary read of the Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget request suggests more than $2 billion could go toward high-energy laser and related directed-energy research, marking a significant escalation in ambition even as采购

DT Editorial Team·Apr 12, 2026·via fastcompany.com

Military

The US Army has decided not to advance its 300-kilowatt Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser system to a program of record, abandoning what would have been the most powerful operational laser weapon in its arsenal and revealing the persistent engineering gap between directed energy ambitions and battlefield reality.

DT Editorial Team·Mar 24, 2026·via defensenews.com

Military

Facing asymmetric drone warfare in the Middle East, the US Department of Defense has set a concrete 36-month mandate to deploy directed energy weapons at scale — ending decades of perpetual delays with an operational deadline backed by presidential attention.

DT Editorial Team·Mar 24, 2026·via c4isrnet.com

Military

US lawmakers have disclosed that a military directed-energy laser system destroyed a Customs and Border Protection drone, exposing dangerous gaps in airspace coordination for weapons testing.

DT Editorial Team·Mar 15, 2026·3 min read·via c4isrnet.com

Military

A Pentagon task force will conduct a live laser weapons test targeting drones, advancing the military's directed energy counter-UAS capabilities.

DT Editorial Team·Mar 7, 2026·3 min read·via c4isrnet.com