British Army soldiers have successfully fired a High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) from an armoured vehicle against moving aerial targets. It is the first time the army has tested such a weapon system mounted on an armoured vehicle, while also having soldiers trained on the weapon’s targeting and tracking technologies.  

The trial was conducted at a military range in Wales and marks the latest stage of the Ministry of Defence’s Land Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) demonstrator programme managed by Raytheon UK and Team Hersa (the joint LDEW enterprise between Defence and Science Laboratory and Defence Equipment and Support). 

James Gray, chief executive and managing director of Raytheon UK said the HELWS has been used in operations by the US. Now the British Army is experimenting with the capability, to track and neutralise moving aerial targets using an intense beam of energy directed at targets. Advanced sensors and tracking systems maintain lock-on and accuracy in real time.  

The weapon system will enable the Army to reduce the cost per shot compared to traditional weapon systems and to counter threats from unmanned air systems. 

“By integrating advanced directed energy technologies onto armoured platforms, we’re not only proving the feasibility of these game-changing systems, but also accelerating their path to operational readiness,” said Matt Cork, head of Team Hersa.  It’s an exciting step forward in redefining the future of defence capability."