The US has deployed a laser weapon-equipped destroyer to Japan, a strategic, cutting-edge show of force amid rising tensions with China.
This month, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that the USS Preble, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer equipped with the advanced High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) laser weapon, has been forward-deployed to Japan’s Yokosuka naval base south of Tokyo.
The Preble is set to conduct tests of its HELIOS system—a high-energy laser with integrated optical dazzler and surveillance—during its Pacific crossing, according to the SCMP report. The deployment underscores the US commitment to Japan’s defense and counters China’s rising naval power by positioning its most capable units in the region.
The SCMP report notes that the USS Preble’s deployment coincides with the release of the US Navy’s Navigation Plan 2024, which, for the first time, acknowledges the potential for conflict with China by 2027.
The 30-page document from Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti outlines two main US objectives: improving naval preparedness and bolstering the US Navy’s involvement in the broader US joint warfare system.
The plan focuses on seven key areas, including addressing maintenance backlogs, increasing the use of robotic and autonomous systems, improving recruitment and retention of sailors and strengthening infrastructure while emphasizing the significance of multi-domain operations and technological advancements.
The plan aims to maintain the US Navy’s dominance using AI, robotics and distributed maritime operations to improve readiness and warfighter skills. It emphasizes the need to address future challenges and prepare for high-end combat.
Lockheed Martin’s HELIOS is a high-energy laser weapon system designed to combat unmanned aerial systems (UAS), small boats and other threats by combining a potent, scalable laser with optical dazzling and surveillance functions.
Lockheed Martin says that HELIOS aims to offer an affordable, adaptable and accurate defense against aerial threats using a 60-120-kilowatt laser. The US defense contractor claims HELIOS’ integration with existing ship systems allows for seamless operation and enhanced situational awareness.
Aside from HELIOS, an August 2024 US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report mentions other US laser weapons projects, including the Solid State Laser Technology Maturation (SSL-TM), Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN), Layered Laser Defense (LLD), and the High Energy Laser Counter-ASCM Program (HELCAP).
The War Zone notes in a December 2019 article that the SSL-TM weapon, currently mounted on the USS Portland testbed, is a high-power 150-kilowatt laser that shot down a drone during a 2020 test and hit a raft in a 2021 test.
Brian O’Rourke notes in a July 2022 Proceedings article that ODIN is intended to protect US ships from harassment by unmanned aerial systems (UASs). Defense One notes that, as of August 2024, eight US destroyers had been armed with the ODIN laser.
Naval News mentions in an April 2024 article that HELCAP, designed to defeat anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) in a crossing flight path instead of missiles shot directly at a defending ship, is still under development. The LLD is also still being developed and tested on US Navy littoral combat ships (LCS).
The CRS report says that the US Navy’s shipboard lasers have numerous benefits, including an essentially limitless ammunition supply and huge cost advantage over anti-air missiles, but still face obstacles in technological limitations and effectiveness in adverse weather conditions.
The US isn’t alone in deploying warships sporting laser weapons. In August 2024, Asia Times reported that China has significantly advanced its naval capabilities by equipping its Type 071 amphibious transport dock, possibly the Siming Shan, with a new laser weapon system.
That’s similar to US efforts, such as positioning HELIOS aboard the USS Preble and other nations working to integrate directed energy weapons onto their warships.
China’s laser system, details of which remain undisclosed, is expected to enhance defense against unmanned aircraft and small boat swarms, potentially including dazzler capabilities to blind sensors and seekers.
Unlike the US, China has already used laser weapons in action, notably in a February 2024 standoff against Philippine forces in the South China Sea, with a laser blast temporarily blinding Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel aboard the BRP Malapascua.
However, despite these advancements, the US faces significant hurdles in making laser weapons a standard part of its warship’s armaments.
In January 2024, Asia Times noted that the US Navy faces severe challenges in developing and deploying laser weapons for shipboard defense.
Despite laser weapons being touted as the future of missile and drone defense, they have not been used by the US and its allies against Houthi drones and missiles in the Red Sea. To date, laser weapons projects have been characterized by a tendency to overpromise but underdeliver.
Physical space, power requirements and cooling needs have all hindered laser weapon development progress. Meanwhile, the maxed-out Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are running out of space for upgrades, complicating the integration of new technologies like laser weapons.
The US Navy’s aging Ticonderoga-class cruisers are well past their planned service lives and, considering their age and limited combat capability, may not be worth upgrading with laser weapons.
Although the upcoming DDG-X meant to replace Arleigh Burke and Ticonderoga ships promises more real estate for laser weapons and their required subsystems, the idea of putting so much capability in a few potentially vulnerable ships is a strategic concern.
Indeed, despite advancements in solid-state laser technology, the US Navy lacks a strategic plan for the widespread adoption of laser weapons.
Technological and maintenance issues, along with limited manufacturers for sensitive components, have reportedly plagued development programs. Progress has also been hindered by the lack of commercial markets for sufficiently powerful lasers.
As for a critique of the US Navy’s Navigation Plan 2024, Asia Times has noted that the US faces significant challenges, including lagging shipbuilding and maintenance capacity and inflexible, centralized kill chains, which could expose vulnerabilities in a potential conflict.
While the US Navy’s strategy includes integrating AI and robotics to maintain superiority, it struggles with skilled labor shortages and outdated procurement strategies that emphasize large, high-cost warships, which hinder its ability to upsize its fleet.
To bolster its fleet, the US is developing low-cost, autonomous drone boats to enhance maritime capabilities in the Taiwan Strait. However, vulnerability to electronic warfare and cyberattacks, alongside a weak US drone manufacturing base and reliance on Chinese components, poses challenges to the effectiveness of these systems.
This is insane. The bigger and newer our weapons, the more we get our Chinese adversary to develop equivalent or better weapons. It’s called “arms race”. You’re going to get us all blown up.
We need peace, not preparation for war.
China wouldn’t stand a chance against the US. Why pretend? You’re just building a reputation for yourselves as an annoying dog that never stops yapping. Soon America will kick that dog.
Usual USA guff we heard about the Soviet Union in the 1980’s, how we needed to spend more money on arms to ‘catch up’. Turns out they were hopelessly out gunned and low in morale.
Same too with China.
Turns out, the West is much farther ahead of the East than we ever realized. But by all means, give us an excuse to prove it. We will destroy Russia and China in a single day and spend the next century repenting for how mean we are. lol