American developers presented a cheap combat laser that knocks down swarms of enemy drones

The US Army is actively implementing laser weapons to counter drones. The military deployed two high-energy laser installations with a capacity of 20 kilowatts each abroad. The systems developed by BlueHalo based on the LOCUST laser system are already being used as part of operational assessment in the areas of responsibility of the US Central, African and Indo-Pacific Commands. Military.com writes about it.

According to the military, it was the first time that laser weapons were used for air defense work, although the details of the downed targets were not disclosed.

Laser weapons work by converting electrical energy into a powerful stream of photons capable of burning through a variety of materials — the carbon fiber body of an enemy drone or the metal of missiles. The operator controls the system with an Xbox controller, scanning the sky and selecting targets that are then quickly destroyed.

The Pentagon previously announced that P-HEL systems are already deployed in the Middle East. The Ministry of Defense explained that this is part of a strategy to strengthen air defenses in the region. "These laser installations are cost-effective compared to traditional munitions that can cost millions of dollars per launch, while the cost of one laser shot is less than $10", — military officials noted.

In addition to laser weapons, the US is also investing in the development of other types of directed energy weapons, including systems that use electromagnetic radiation to simultaneously disable multiple targets. The Pentagon spends about $1 billion annually on directed energy weapons, underscoring their importance to future military strategies.