Faced with the growing threat of drone swarms, the US Army is developing the E-HEL system, a high-energy laser capable of neutralizing several classes of aircraft.
In summary
The U.S. Army has just issued a call to industry to design a high-energy laser designed to intercept swarms of small drones. This future system, called Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL), aims to quickly and silently destroy light aerial targets without the use of conventional ammunition. With drone intrusions now a daily occurrence over military bases and critical infrastructure, anti-drone defense is becoming a priority. The program, led by the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), plans to produce around 20 systems by the end of the decade. Several players, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman, are already working on 50- to 300-kilowatt laser demonstrators. Behind the technology lies a strategic challenge: restoring a defensive advantage in a sky saturated with autonomous drones and coordinated swarms.
A program to counter an omnipresent threat
The RCCTO’s announcement reflects an operational reality: small drones are now one of the most complex threats to neutralize. Cheap, discreet, and easy to fly, these modified civilian or military aircraft can carry small explosive payloads or collect intelligence near troops.
Recent conflicts—in Ukraine, Syria, and Nagorno-Karabakh—have demonstrated their tactical effectiveness. Even recreational quadcopters, purchased for a few hundred euros, can become lethal weapons.
Traditional defenses (surface-to-air missiles, automatic cannons) are too expensive or too slow to respond to swarm attacks. Firing a Stinger missile costing over $100,000 at a $1,000 drone makes no economic sense. It is in this context that the US military is seeking solutions with minimal cost per shot, such as high-energy lasers, capable of engaging multiple targets per minute without reloading.
The E-HEL concept: a beam to saturate the nearby space
The future Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) is intended to provide a mobile layer of defense against three classes of drones:
- micro-drones (less than 9 kg);
- medium-range tactical drones;
- and mini-UAVs used for reconnaissance or attack.
The objective is to destroy or neutralize these devices at distances between 500 m and 10 km, depending on the power of the laser. Unlike a missile, the light beam strikes instantly, at the speed of light, without any sound signature or shock wave.
The RCCTO wants to test several architectures: compact modules on light armored vehicles (such as Stryker), fixed turrets for base protection, and deployable systems for mobile units.
This offers two advantages: logistical autonomy (no ammunition to store) and defensive saturation (the ability to engage multiple targets in succession without reloading time).
The technical principles of a combat laser
An air defense laser works by concentrating a coherent beam of energy on a small area of the target, causing materials (often composites or polymers) to melt.
The E-HEL will use fiber or solid-state lasers, which are more compact and robust than older chemical models. These lasers are powered by electric generators coupled with batteries or microturbines.
The beam is stabilized by an adaptive optical system, which corrects for air distortion in real time. An electro-optical tracking turret identifies and tracks the target, guided by short-range radar. The shot lasts 2 to 10 seconds, depending on the distance and thermal resistance of the drone.
Many challenges remain:
- Energy production sufficient in a small volume;
- Cooling of the optics after several shots;
- Maintaining accuracy in poor atmospheric conditions (fog, dust, rain).
Despite these constraints, recent advances have made it possible to envisage weapons between 50 and 300 kilowatts, sufficient to burn or disintegrate a small drone in flight.
Pioneering programs already being tested
The E-HEL is a continuation of existing demonstrators. For the past five years, the U.S. Army has been testing several directed energy prototypes:
- DE M-SHORAD (Directed Energy-Maneuver Short Range Air Defense): a 50 kW laser mounted on a Stryker armored vehicle, developed by Raytheon and Kord Technologies. Tests in 2023 demonstrated the destruction of light aerial targets at a range of 2 km.
- HEL-TVD (High Energy Laser-Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator): a 100 kW system developed by Lockheed Martin and Dynetics, capable of neutralizing rockets and mortars.
- IFPC-HEL (Indirect Fire Protection Capability): a 300 kW architecture designed for base defense, which could serve as the technological basis for the future E-HEL.
The army plans to combine these technological building blocks to produce a modular model that can be adapted to different theaters of operation.
The challenge of drone swarms
Swarms, or coordinated swarms, are the most feared scenario. In theory, a group of several dozen drones can saturate a radar and overwhelm conventional defenses. Each device exchanges position data to adapt its trajectory, which complicates neutralization.
In this context, the laser becomes a persistence weapon: it can fire continuously as long as the energy source remains available.
However, a laser can only process one target at a time. Managing multiple simultaneous threats requires multi-sensor tracking systems and advanced software coordination. Future E-HELs will therefore have to operate in a network, connected to surveillance radars or integrated command centers capable of assigning targets to each unit.
The American industry mobilized around the concept
The development of combat lasers is generating massive interest among major defense contractors.
- Lockheed Martin has delivered a 300 kW laser, the HELIOS, to the Navy for installation on Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
- Raytheon is testing Phaser, a microwave warfare system designed to neutralize drone electronics without physically destroying them.
- Northrop Grumman is working on adaptive optical architectures for 100 to 250 kW lasers.
- General Atomics is exploring a hybrid approach combining solid-state lasers and microwave beams to counter more resistant targets.
The RCCTO plans to build on these advances to produce up to twenty operational E-HEL systems that can be integrated into the US Army’s future short-range air defense system.
A strategic challenge for NATO
The increase in drone incursions on European military bases—in Poland, Romania, and near the Black Sea—has alerted NATO.
The ability to neutralize hostile drones without escalation is becoming crucial: a laser beam leaves no debris or trace of a downed missile.
The United States wants to equip not only its own forces, but also its allies, with an exportable defensive solution that is non-lethal to civilians and compatible with international law.
The E-HEL could eventually be deployed at NATO forward bases or on naval platforms, complementing jamming systems and active network radars. Its modularity would allow it to be adapted to defend industrial areas, airports, or logistics centers against suicide drone attacks.
Limitations and challenges to be overcome
Despite rapid progress, laser technology is not a miracle solution.
Atmospheric conditions have a significant impact on the effective power of the beam. High humidity or dust can scatter energy and reduce the effective range.
Power supply remains a critical issue: a 100 kW laser requires several megawatts at peak, which requires heavy generators.
Finally, the initial cost remains high: a complete HEL-TVD prototype costs around $60 million, excluding logistics.
But the long-term stakes justify this investment: lowering the cost per shot to just a few dozens of dollars, compared to thousands for guided munitions.
A silent revolution in air defense
The E-HEL program marks a doctrinal shift: air defense is moving from missiles to directed energy.
Laser weapons do not replace existing systems, but complement the spectrum: missiles for heavy threats, lasers for multiple and economical targets.
This approach is part of a saturation defense strategy, where each type of threat—rockets, drones, projectiles—calls for an appropriate response.
Ultimately, the integration of lasers on armored vehicles, ships, or fixed points will give rise to an electro-optical defensive bubble, connected to artificial intelligence systems capable of identifying, prioritizing, and striking threats in real time.
A global race already underway
The United States is not alone in this field.
In 2019, China tested the LW-30, a 30 kW laser designed to defend air bases.
Israel is deploying the Iron Beam, a 100 kW laser that complements its Iron Dome anti-rocket system.
In 2023, Germany, via Rheinmetall, demonstrated a 20 kW laser mounted on a frigate, and France is experimenting with the HELMA-P program with Cilas and ArianeGroup.
This competition illustrates a major trend: the militarization of directed energy as a response to drone warfare, which is redefining the balance of power on the modern battlefield.
A technological and doctrinal turning point
The US Army’s future E-HEL system is not just an innovation in weaponry. It embodies a strategic transition towards an energy-sustainable defense capable of responding to the proliferation of low-cost threats.
Laser weapons, once the stuff of science fiction, are becoming a concrete tool of saturation warfare. Behind the invisible beam, a new military logic is emerging: that of permanent defensive superiority, fueled by science and precision.
Sources
– U.S. Army RCCTO, Request for Information on the E-HEL program, October 2025.
– Defense News, “Army seeks high-energy laser systems to kill drone swarms,” 2025.
– Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman: technical press releases 2024-2025.
– Center for Strategic and International Studies: “Directed Energy Weapons” (2024 report).
– DARPA & GAO: data on HEL-TVD and DE M-SHORAD costs and testing.
– NATO ACT: 2024 studies on anti-drone warfare and directed energy defense.
War Wings Daily is an independant magazine.