US Air Force takes delivery of laser weapons
The palletised H4 is a 10-kilowatt laser weapon designed according to US military specifications. (Photo: Raytheon Technologies)
Raytheon Technologies have delivered the fourth combat-ready laser weapon to the USAF.
Preceding the deliveries, the company and the USAF Life Cycle Management Centre have conducted a series of successful tests on the air force’s first-ever palletised high-energy laser weapon.
The live-fire exercises took place over four consecutive days at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
The H4 is a 10kWlaser weapon designed according to US military specifications, capable of being transported and installed in any location as needed.
Raytheon Technologies has now delivered four operational laser weapon systems to the USAF, with a total of eight supplied to the DoD.
The primary role of the laser weapon is to safeguard personnel and assets from short-range aerial threats.
Raytheon said the weapon system underwent rigorous testing as part of the USAF Test and Assessment plan.
This included multiple live-fire exercises, focusing on acquiring, targeting, tracking and neutralising drone targets in various attack scenarios, including short-range, swarm and long-range threats.
The palletised laser weapon system is compact enough to fit into the cargo bed of a pickup truck.
It consists of a high-energy laser weapon module, a long-range electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor that also serves as the beam director, thermal control, internal electrical power and targeting software.
More from Air Warfare
-
![September crewed air review: established platforms retain their grip on the market]()
September crewed air review: established platforms retain their grip on the market
With many next-generation capabilities still years from operational readiness, several of the month’s largest developments demonstrated that governments remain willing to invest heavily in aircraft with proven capabilities and established support networks.
-
![Will the US Navy F/A-XX and the USAF F-47 compete for production capacities?]()
Will the US Navy F/A-XX and the USAF F-47 compete for production capacities?
The two sixth-generation fighter programmes could battle for engineering talent and production lines before deliveries begin, testing Boeing’s industrial expansion plans.
-
![E-3 Sentry encryption equipment no longer meets US security requirements, says USAF]()
E-3 Sentry encryption equipment no longer meets US security requirements, says USAF
The US Air Force says the Sentry fleet’s DAR-400 encryptor can no longer keep pace with changing security requirements and warns that a failure could affect US operations and data security.
-
![Spain air focus: Mature UAV market rewards early supplier engagement]()
Spain air focus: Mature UAV market rewards early supplier engagement
Spain accounts for 5% of European military UAV spending, broadly in line with its share of the continent’s wider defence market. What sets the country apart, however, is how much of that spending has already been committed, reflecting Spain's earlier adoption of the capability.
-
![New US Army UH-60M Black Hawk order bridges uncertain path to MV-75 transition]()
New US Army UH-60M Black Hawk order bridges uncertain path to MV-75 transition
The US$234 million award for 16 Sikorsky UH-60Ms preserves near-term production, but funding uncertainty and an undefinitised contract leave the US Army’s long-term Black Hawk requirements unresolved.
