Using a combined-beam fibre laser, a US Navy team and Raytheon have shot down four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that were flying over the sea.
Phalanx Close-In Weapon System
These UAV targets were destroyed utilizing the Laser Weapon System (LaWS) of the Navy, guided by Phalanx Close-In Weapon System sensor technologies of Raytheon.
The Phalanx Close-In Weapon System, a computer-controlled, radar-guided rapid-fire gun system, is developed for defeating anti-ship missiles as well as other surface and close-in air threats. LaWS comprises six industrial lasers, which focus on its target simultaneously.
For this test, the LaWS was platform-mounted near the Phalanx Block 1B mount. Phalanx Block 1B enhances anti-air warfare capabilities by incorporating customized gun barrels and a forward-looking infrared sensor.
The operator of Phalanx utilized the surface mode of Block 1B to conduct electro-optical tracking as well as the radio-frequency sensors of the system to offer range information to the LaWS. The LaWS destroyed its target when the UAV was acquired by the Phalanx.