The Army's Drone-Killing Laser Weapon

THE U.S. ARMY FIELDED ITS FIRST LASERweapon-equipped unit in October. Based at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the unit took possession of four laser-equipped Stryker infantry combat vehicles, each mounting a 50-kilowatt-class laser-weapon system. The combination of Stryker and laser can down both artillery, such as mortars and rockets, and drones in-flight.

- Kyle Mizokami

Sky Sweeper// The four vehicles are known as Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense, or DE M-SHORAD for short. "Directed energy" refers to the laser, "maneuver" refers to the fact that the laser is mounted on a mobile vehicle, and "short range air defense" is the vehicle's officially designated mission.

DE M-SHORAD places a 50-kilowatt-class laser on a double-hull Stryker infantry combat vehicle, the latest version of the Stryker designed to provide additional protection against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and ground explosions. An onboard generator provides power to the laser, and the vehicle also sports airborne threat detection, tracking, and targeting equipment.

The result is a self-contained system that doesn't require an entourage of support vehicles and can roll out and provide aerial protection for other maneuver forces like Stryker, tank, and mechanized infantry companies.

The laser on DE M-SHORAD works by focusing an intense beam of laser light on a target.