{"id":99971,"date":"2020-05-23T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-23T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/?p=99971"},"modified":"2020-05-23T10:49:17","modified_gmt":"2020-05-23T14:49:17","slug":"uss-portland-shoots-drone-with-laser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/?p=99971","title":{"rendered":"USS Portland Shoots Drone With Laser"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A US Navy ship firing a laser beam.\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2014, the USS Ponce deployed to the Persian Gulf with a laser weapon. After they successfully tested that laser weapon, the Ponce’s commanding officer requested permission to use it as a part of their defense system. They received that permission.<\/p>\n

Now, the USS Portland successfully shot a drone with a laser. This is not the end of testing, the Navy plans to continue to refine and test its laser systems. Will the Navy develop these lasers to the point to where they could take down one of those Chinese “Carrier Killers”? What about a fast patrol boat?<\/p>\n

From USNI News:<\/span><\/p>\n

The weapon had been undergoing testing at a Northrop Grumman facility in Redondo Beach, Calif., where engineers could test subsystems to reduce risk before sending the weapon system to conduct land-based testing and then the at-sea testing on Portland.<\/p>\n

The Navy is also working on a less powerful laser weapon, the High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS), which is planned to reach 60 kw and could be installed onto ships like today’s fielded destroyers that have less power margin to add in new systems. The Navy is also pursuing an Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN) that would not be used to knock down incoming threats but would rather be a non-lethal option to warn away enemy craft approaching a U.S. warship.<\/p>\n

In addition to Northrop Grumman’s work on the SSL-TM on board Portland, Lockheed Martin is also pursuing a 150kw laser weapon. The Navy announced earlier this year that it would put a laser weapon — an early version of this weapon system, still at a lower power level, USNI News understands — on USS Little Rock (LCS-9), a Littoral Combat Ship deploying to U.S. 4th Fleet later this year.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

USNI has the full article here<\/a>, including video. You could also watch the video below.<\/p>\n