Short video clips show what appears to be the drone burning.The Navy did not give a specific location of the laser weapons system demonstrator (LWSD) test, saying only that it occurred in the Pacific on May 16.The power of the weapon was not disclosed, but a 2018 report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies said it was expected to be a 150-kilowatt laser. "By conducting advanced at sea tests against UAVs and small crafts, we will gain valuable information on the capabilities of the Solid State Laser Weapons System Demonstrator against potential threats," Capt. We're able to engage the targets at the speed of light. The weapon was installed on USS Ponce for field testing in 2014. A US Navy warship has successfully tested a new high-energy laser weapon that can destroy aircraft mid-flight, the Navy's Pacific Fleet said in a statement Friday. LWSD is a high-energy laser weapon system demonstrator developed by the Office of Naval Research and installed on Portland for an at-sea demonstration. While it is the third ship to bear the name ‘USS Portland,’ it is the first ship to be named solely after the largest city in Oregon.PACIFIC OCEAN (May 21, 2020) The amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) successfully tests a Solid State Laser - Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) Mark 2 MOD 0.The SSL-TM program builds upon the Office of Naval Research's previous directed-energy developments, like the Laser Weapon System (LaWS), which was successfully tested at-sea aboard the Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (ASB(I)) 15 in 2014.

Navy tests laser that can destroy aircraft mid-flight Navy tests laser that can destroy aircraft mid-flightConfusion and frustration hamper push to reopen schoolsTrump claims funding USPS will lead to ballot fraudLifelong Republican: I'm voting Biden because I'm disgustedFauci calls uptick in positive coronavirus tests disturbingSee the moment officer saves man in wheelchair from trainBiden on masks: Be a patriot, protect your fellow citizensConspiracy theorists attack efforts for Covid-19 vaccineLegendary journalist set to release new book about TrumpGroup of unmasked people take over New York bus and hold partyPolice pull guns on teens after conflicting calls about attackKamala Harris describes moment she got the call from BidenTrump's new coronavirus adviser echoes his non-science views
Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.Images and videos provided by the Navy show the amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland executing "the first system-level implementation of a high-energy class solid-state laser" to disable an aerial drone aircraft, the statement said.The images show the laser emanating from the deck of the warship. LWSD’s operational employment on a Pacific Fleet ship is the first system-level implementation of a high-energy class solid-state laser. Karrey Sanders, commanding officer of Portland, said in the statement.

In December 2014, the United States Navy reported that the LaWS system worked perfectly against low-end asymmetric threats, and that the commander of Ponce is authorized to use the system as a defensive weapon. USS Portland Conducts Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) Test Amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) successfully disabled an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a Solid State Laser - Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) MK 2 …

"With this new advanced capability, we are redefining war at sea for the Navy. The AN/SEQ-3 Laser Weapon System or XN-1 LaWS is a laser weapon developed by the United States Navy. "It is throwing massive amounts of photons at an incoming object," Hughes said. The Portland was equipped with the Solid State Laser Weapons System Demonstrator for the at-sea test.

The Navy’s development of DEWs like the LWSD, provide immediate warfighter benefits and provide the commander increased decision space and response options.“The Solid State Laser Weapons System Demonstrator is a unique capability the Portland gets to test and operate for the Navy, while paving the way for future weapons systems, “ said Sanders.