The U.S. Navy has deployed the HELIOS (High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance) during Operation Epic Fury and there are reports of shooting down Iranian drones.
US CENTCOM released footage in 2026 showing an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer equipped with the steerable high-energy laser operating off Iran’s coast while launching strikes. The New York Post and multiple outlets (Gulf News, Livemint, GB News) said HELIOS has engaged Iranian drones.
First known combat deployment of a high-energy shipboard laser in this conflict. They were used against low-cost Iranian Shahed-style drones and small aerial threats in the Gulf. Before the war, USS Preble (the first HELIOS-equipped ship) downed four drones in expanded testing in early February 2026.
HELIOS is made by Lockheed Martin. It is a ~60+ kW high-energy laser with dazzler/surveillance. USS Preble is a DDG-88, Arleigh Burke-class) destroyer. USS Preble is being used in the Iran war.
Other destroyers that should be getting actual HELIOS hardware (though Aegis combat system upgrades and then the lasers) are Arleigh Burkes DDG-81, 89, 122, 124, and 127.
CENTCOM footage also shows the lower-power ODIN dazzler laser (sensor-blinding system) on destroyers. In 2022, the US Navy reported they had installed operational lasers on at least three Arleigh Burke–class guided-missile destroyers—the USS Dewey (DDG-105), Stockdale (DDG-106), and Spruance (DDG-111). The ships have received the AN/SEQ-4 Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN), a solid-state laser capable of defeating unmanned aerial vehicles by disabling or destroying their sensor. There should now be 8 ODIN lasers total across Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
The high-power (150 kW) Northrop Grumman Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) was installed on the USS Portland (LPD-27) several years ago and knocked down a drone in 2020 and hit a raft in a 2021 test. CRS report estimates the cost per shot around $1.15 for an ODIN or LaWS size system up to perhaps $10 for a 480-kW laser, most of that cost being the price of the fuel used to generate electricity for the laser. The 150 kW Northrop system is not deployed anywhere. The test unit was installed and removed.
Lasers can be overwhelmed by saturation attacks and weapon design. Even a 1-MW laser would take a few seconds to destroy an enemy vehicle or weapon—longer if the threat has been hardened against lasers.
Israel Iron Beam
Israel’s Iron Beam (aka Or Eitan) laser air-defense system is fully operational. On December 28–30, 2025, the first operational 100 kW system formally delivered by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to the IDF. This was the transition from testing to serial production.
They are integrated as the innermost (fifth) layer of Israel’s multi-tier air defense alongside Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow systems.
On March 2–3, 2026, the first confirmed combat use. The system has intercepted Hezbollah rockets, mortars, and Iranian-backed drones in real operations.
100 kw iron beam is effective out to ~7–10 km against rockets, mortars, UAVs, and short-range missiles. The cost per shot is ~$2–5 (just electricity + cooling). This is instead of $50,000+ Tamir missiles from Iron Dome.
A precision hit burns through targets in 2–5 seconds.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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