Surface Navy 2025: US Navy officials bemoan lack of progress on shipboard directed energy development

The US Navy wants to put directed energy systems such as the HELIOS, depicted here, on more ships in the fleet. (Lockheed Martin)

The US Navy (USN) is woefully behind in its efforts to develop shipboard laser and other directed energy systems for widespread fleet deployment, according to USN officials.

“I stood here last year and said that I was not satisfied with our progress on directed energy,” Vice Admiral Brendan McLane, commander, Naval Surface Forces, said on 14 January during his status of the force address at the Surface Navy Association National Symposium 2025.

“And after a year of repairs, fleet experiments, site visits, and lots of learning, I am still dissatisfied,” Vice Adm McLane said.

He added, “I want to instil a greater sense of urgency and I intend to continue to advocate strongly for the resources necessary to overcome some of these hard, technical challenges like atmospheric turbulence, track targeting, clutter conditions, saturation attacks, and beam control.”

He showed a picture of the guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88), the only US warship equipped with the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system, which is designed to use a high-energy laser to shoot down drones and missiles.

“Here in the picture you can see her HELIOS,” Vice Adm McLane said. “Lasers like this, high-powered microwaves are the way of the future because they will augment a ship defence with an unlimited magazine.”