High Energy Laser Intercepts, Destroys Incoming Mortar Rounds - Raytheon

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2022) A high energy laser mounted on a Stryker combat vehicle has destroyed incoming mortar rounds during live-fire US Army exercises, Raytheon said on Monday.

"In four weeks of continuous live-fire exercises, an industry team led by Raytheon Intelligence & Space (RI&S) and Kord, a wholly owned subsidiary of KBR, defeated multiple 60mm mortar rounds with a 50 kilowatt (kW)-class high energy laser integrated on a Stryker combat vehicle," Raytheon said in a press release.

The directed energy weapon system, which is part of the US Army's Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) program, acquired, tracked, targeted and defeated multiple mortars and successfully accomplished multiple tests simulating real-world scenarios, the release said.

"Soldiers in the field face increasingly complex threats, and our combat-proven sensors, software, and lasers are ready to give them a new level of protection," the release said. "The Army gave us our toughest challenge yet - countering rockets, artillery and mortars - and we took an essential step on the path to providing the maneuverable, short range air defense Soldiers need."

The recent operational assessment at the White Sands Missile Range also included defeating several small, medium and large drones, the release added.

The program is aimed at protecting soldiers against various aerial threats, including unmanned aircraft systems, rotary-wing aircraft, rockets, artillery and mortars, according to the release.