US laser weapons deployed in Hormuz, used against drones along southern border

US high-energy laser weapons are moving from decades of development into operational use, with systems deployed in Hormuz and lasers used against drones along the US southern border.

The US military has been deploying laser weapons in Hormuz to counter drones and incoming cruise missiles, according to a report by the New York Post, which cited the US Department of War.

The technology has been under development for about 50 years. Unlike conventional weapons that use physical ammunition, high-energy lasers use electricity from generators or batteries to create a concentrated beam of light that heats a target until it is disabled or destroyed.

Mark Neice, president of Directed Energy Consultants, told the Post that operators can track a drone and precisely place the laser beam on it, either disabling its sensors or destroying the aircraft.

Jared Keller, publisher of the Laser Wars newsletter, said laser weapons rely on what is known as "dwell time" -- keeping the beam focused on a target for several seconds to generate enough heat to damage or destroy it.

The US Army has also moved its laser programme towards production. On 2 September, it awarded AeroVironment a $464.8 million contract for its Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) programme, the Army's first production contract for a high-energy laser weapon system. The system is designed to counter unmanned aircraft at a lower cost per shot than conventional kinetic weapons.

Used against drones

The technology has also been used along the US southern border.

The Joint Task Force Southern Border has used high-energy lasers against drones believed to be linked to Mexican drug cartels, with the New York Post reporting at least 11 drones had been brought down.

Separately, US military officials told CBS News that an Army high-energy laser system took down three drones along the US-Mexico border on 25 and 26 August. The military described the drones as hostile because they were considered a threat to US military personnel and Customs and Border Protection personnel.

The laser system used along the border is a version of AeroVironment's LOCUST system. The Army's E-HEL programme is intended to provide a scalable directed-energy capability against unmanned aircraft, with a power supply that can be replenished rather than relying on finite ammunition.

One unusual feature of the systems is their use of controllers similar to those used for Xbox gaming consoles. Keller said there was little reason for the military to develop an entirely new control system when commercially developed gaming controllers already offer precise and familiar controls.

He said the gaming industry's development of controllers had effectively provided a ready-made interface for operating the weapons.

Larger systems in Hormuz

The laser systems deployed in the Middle East are larger and heavier than some of the systems used against drones along the southern border.

Among them are High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance, or HELIOS, systems. The ship-mounted systems use a high-energy laser of about 60 kilowatts and are designed to engage aerial threats.

Boeing has also developed its Compact Laser Weapon System, or CLWS, which can engage Group 3 drones weighing up to about 1,300 pounds, according to the Post.

Experts cited by the Post said the systems are not currently being used against human targets.

Brent Ziarnick, a senior fellow in defence studies at the American Foreign Policy Council, said directed-energy weapons could eventually change military logistics because they do not require conventional ammunition in the same way as guns and missiles.

But the technology has limitations.

Lasers work best in clear atmospheric conditions and can become less effective when rain, water vapour or other atmospheric conditions interfere with the beam. They can also face difficulties when confronted by large numbers of drones at the same time.

The size of some systems also limits their deployment. The larger laser weapons used in the Middle East need to be mounted on ships rather than carried by individual soldiers.

From testing to deployment

The technology has increasingly moved beyond laboratory and test-range demonstrations.

In June, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth attended a laser-weapons demonstration at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, where, according to Keller, he used a controller to engage a drone after several minutes of training.

Neice said lasers could eventually have applications beyond conventional battlefield defence, including possible use by the US Space Force.

For now, however, the technology is being developed and deployed primarily as another layer of defence against drones and other aerial threats.

The Army's first production contract marks a shift from prototype development towards fielding the technology, while its use along the southern border demonstrates how high-energy lasers are being applied against real-world drone threats.