RAYTHEON DELIVERS FIRST LASER COUNTER-UAS TO US AIR FORCE

Raytheon Company delivered the first high-energy laser Counter-Unmanned Aerial System – C-UAS to the US Air Force earlier this month. The system will be deployed overseas as part of a year-long Air Force experiment to train operators and test the system’s effectiveness in real-world conditions.

“Five years ago, few people worried about the drone threat – said at Spazio-News Magazine Roy Azevedo, president of Raytheon Space & Airborne Systems -. Now, we hear about attacks or incursions all the time. Our customers saw this coming and asked us to develop a ready-now counter-UAS capability. We did just that by going from the drawing board to delivery in less than 24 months.”

Raytheon‘s high-energy laser weapon system uses an advanced variant of the company’s Multi-spectral Targeting System, an electro-optical/infrared sensor, to detect, identify and track rogue drones. Once targeted, the system engages the threat, neutralizing the UAS in a matter of seconds.

Raytheon installed its high-energy laser weapon system on a small all-terrain vehicle. On a single charge from a standard 220-volt outlet, the HELWS can deliver intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability and dozens of precise laser shots. It can also be paired with a generator to provide a nearly infinite number of shots.

Raytheon is integrating multiple proven technologies to C-UAS threat across a wide range of scenarios, from commercial airports to forward operating bases to crowded stadiums. Raytheon’s portfolio of sensors, command & control systems, and kinetic and non-kinetic effectors covers all aspects of the UAS threat.