What Happened
Directed Energy Program Could Revolutionize Air Defense
The US Army is preparing to make high-energy lasers a permanent part of its counter-drone arsenal, with negotiations underway with AeroVironment for the Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program. The program, potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars, aims to provide a reusable hard-kill layer against unmanned threats, using directed energy rather than expendable interceptor missiles. According to Breaking Defense, the E-HEL requirement reflects lessons from the US Army’s earlier Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense effort, and could mark a major step towards integrating laser weapons into layered US Army air defense.