![The afloat forward staging base (interim) USS Ponce (AFSB(I) 15) transits the Arabian Gulf. Ponce is equipped with the Laser Weapon System (LaWS), a technology demonstrator built by Naval Sea Systems Command from commercial fiber solid-state lasers. The system utilizes combination methods developed at the Naval Research Laboratory to successfully shoot down a target. LaWS can be directed onto targets from the radar track obtained from an MK 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapon System or other targeting source. This capability provides ships with a method to easily defeat small boat threats and aerial targets without using bullets. (U.S. Navy photo by Daniel M. Young)](https://defense-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ponce_laser_closeup.jpg)
The US Navy has been operating a High Energy Laser (HEL) weapon in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea since the summer of 2014. The system, afloat on the forward staging base (interim) – USS Ponce (AFSB(I) 15) is the first laser weapon system operationally deployed by the US military. Currently at a prototype stage, the system has been fielded to evaluate the capabilities of Solid State Laser-(SSL) in a Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) demonstration.
According to navy plans HEL will equip U.S. ships with a high depth-of-fire delivered at the speed of light, with seconds dwell time and a deep magazine for more powerful means of self-defense.
The SSL prototype is a 30 kW-class solid-state laser weapon system developed under the leadership of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). The system integrates six commercial 5.4 kW fibre lasers with a beam combiner developed for the Naval Research Laboratory. Final integration and testing of the system were performed at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, with land-based testing performed on the Potomac River Test Range.
![An Iranian Navy drill practicing swarm attack by small and fast boats, equipped with short range rockets.](https://defense-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/iranian_boats_practice_swarm_attack-300x110.jpg)
The US Navy is exploring several directed energy and laser weapon programs for its current and future force. Future HEL weapons delivering peak power of 100-150 kW are considered as cost effective means for protection against anti-ship missiles, guided weapons and swarms of fast attack boats. In particular, the service is attracted by the low cost-per-shot offered by the laser, particularly on electrically powered vessels such as the new DDG-1000 (USS Zumwalt), for which powerful free electron lasers are being developed.
Different laser weapons would be compatible with existing vessels such as the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and DDG-51 guided missile destroyers. These lasers currently evaluated by the Office of Naval Research are expected to be available for testing at sea by 2016.
A miniaturized version of the HEL Weapon System or HELWS is a high energy fiber laser, evaluated by ONR to equip naval helicopters. The Concept of Employment for a HELWS, is to operate the airborne laser from a rotary wing platforms such as the MH-60 or MQ-8C unmanned helicopter, enabling the platform to engage light targets such as fast swarms of boats, unmanned surface vehicles or anti-aircraft missiles. The concept of operation, as in operating lasers on surface vessels, will be to employ the lasers against low-end asymmetric threats, thus free the limited load-out of the vessel’s advanced kinetic weapons to strike advanced high-end threats.
![Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder, chief of naval research, tracks targets during a tour of Naval Directed Energy Center and the Office of Naval Research's (ONR) Laser Weapons System (LaWS) program at Dahlgren in March 2014. (U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams)](https://defense-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/naval_laser_range_dahlgren725.jpg)
![The A/N SEQ-3(XN-1) Solid State Laser-Quick Reaction Capability system's beam director and tracking mount undergoing tests before deployment on USS Ponce. (U.S. Navy photo by John Joyce)](https://defense-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/laser_test_bench_at_dahlgren.jpg)
![ponce-with_laser800](https://defense-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ponce-with_laser800.jpg)
![The Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (AFSB(I)15) leads a formation of ships participating in International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX) 2013. Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Michael Sandberg.](https://defense-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ponce_pre_ssl725.jpg)