A proven design integrates new technology to remain combat effective.
The U.S. Navy’s USS Preble, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, recently received a laser weapon system. The laser, called HELIOS, or High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance, is the first laser that will be integrated with an Arleigh Burke’s power and cooling systems and the ship’s Aegis Combat System.
A statement from Lockheed Martin, the company behind HELIOS, explained that Lockheed “delivered to the U.S. Navy a 60+ kW-class high energy laser with integrated optical-dazzler and surveillance (HELIOS), the first tactical laser weapon system to be integrated into existing ships and provide directed energy capability to the fleet.”
The statement added that “integrated and scalable by design, the multi-mission HELIOS system will provide tactically relevant laser weapon system warfighting capability as a key element of a layered defense architecture.”
“Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy share a common vision and enthusiasm for developing and providing disruptive laser weapon systems,” a Lockheed Martin vice president explained.