The US Army is pushing for a tactically relevant high-energy laser (HEL) technology to address the growing threat of Group 3 UAS by 2027. In an exclusive interview with C-UAS Hub at the Future Armoured Vehicles Survivability conference, Col. Steven Gutierrez provided insights into the Army’s progress in HEL systems and the challenges ahead.

Col. Gutierrez, who serves as Project Manager for Directed Energy with the US Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, described a tactically relevant HEL capability that is lethal against Group 3 UAS as the “holy grail” that he is chasing.

“When I speak of being able to get to that capability, I’m talking in terms of more than just lethality, I’m talking about affordability, maintainability and availability,” Col. Gutierrez told C-UAS Hub. “I think all of these will converge along the development line to be able to give that tactically relevant Group 3 directed energy killer.”

“We are pursuing an enduring and tactically relevant directed energy laser transition to a program of record in fiscal year 2026-2027,” he added.

Combat-proven success with prototypes

The Army has already demonstrated success with HEL prototypes. Following “unprecedented attacks” on US bases in the Middle East, Col Gutierrez noted that there were concerns over the rate of ammunition consumption for C-UAS systems. The Army’s HEL prototypes offered a capability that was immune to this issue.

“What resulted was the quickest new capability mobilization that I’ve ever experienced. In less than 90 days we were in theater and integrated into a layered air defense,” he said.

The HEL system reportedly achieved a flawless record against threat-representative drones in training scenarios in a CENTCOM region in Iraq.

“During that period of three days, we were able to shoot and engage threat representative targets, flying threat representative speeds and patterns, and we were successful 15 out of 15 times,” Col. Gutierrez said.

The challenges ahead

Developing HEL systems that are powerful, portable and affordable involves overcoming significant challenges. The production of key components like optics and beam control systems remains complex and costly.

“Right now, it is still nascent technology, especially when you put all the sub components together, if we were going to build to scale, we’re going to have to build up the industrial base to be able to support that,” Col. Gutierrez told C-UAS Hub. “A lot of my subcomponents take folks in white coats to build, and I need to get it to a point where blue collars can build.”

The Army is also exploring innovations like mobile clean rooms for in-field repairs and integrating real-world operational feedback into system design.

A layered defense approach

Colonel Gutierrez emphasized that HEL systems are not a standalone solution but a critical component of a layered air defense strategy.

“You’re not just fighting a capability war, but you’re also fighting a budget war,” he said. “When you have Group 1 and 2 threats that cost hundreds of dollars, why are you going to fire something that’s $100,000 to take it down. Lasers give you an option that’s very smart in that in that realm.”

As adversaries continue to advance their drone capabilities, the Army’s work on HEL technology seeks to provide a reliable, cost-effective solution.

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