Navy-Raytheon Team Conducts Laser System Test on UAV Targets

Using a combined-beam fibre laser, a US Navy team and Raytheon have shot down four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that were flying over the sea.

These UAV targets were destroyed utilizing the Laser Weapon System (LaWS) of the Navy, guided by Phalanx Close-In Weapon System sensor technologies of Raytheon.

The Phalanx Close-In Weapon System, a computer-controlled, radar-guided rapid-fire gun system, is developed for defeating anti-ship missiles as well as other surface and close-in air threats. LaWS comprises six industrial lasers, which focus on its target simultaneously.

For this test, the LaWS was platform-mounted near the Phalanx Block 1B mount. Phalanx Block 1B enhances anti-air warfare capabilities by incorporating customized gun barrels and a forward-looking infrared sensor.

The operator of Phalanx utilized the surface mode of Block 1B to conduct electro-optical tracking as well as the radio-frequency sensors of the system to offer range information to the LaWS. The LaWS destroyed its target when the UAV was acquired by the Phalanx.