During the first week of May, the US Navy successfully tested a new laser weapon system on board USS Portland. During the Hawaii test, the ship fired a laser at an unmanned floating aerial vehicle. This was the Navy’s first deployment of a laser weapons system on a Navy ship. It was developed by Northrop Grumman and was designed to be used against unmanned aerial vehicles and small craft. It is expected that the laser will be stronger than the one the Navy tested on the USS Ponce (AFSB(I-15)-15) seven year ago.
The laser system on Portland is expected to be 150 kilowatts, which is five times more powerful than the 30 kilowatt laser that the Navy tested on USS Ponce. This is part of the Navy's efforts to upgrade the laser weapon systems that ships currently have. The laser is expected to be able to kill or disable unmanned aerial vehicles, artillery, mortars, and rockets. The US Navy is yet to establish the laser's range in Portland.
USS Portland is a San Antonio-class amphibious landing dock ship. She is part USS Essex Amphibious Ready Group. She will deploy to the U.S. 4th Fleet to participate in the Rim-of-the Pacific wargames. Portland will be the flagship of these multinational military drills. The ship will be joined by three other ships: USS Little Rock (an amphibious assault vessel); USS Pearl Harbor (an amphibious dock landing boat); and USS Essex (an amphibious assault vessel). All three ships will be carrying the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Portland is expected to be the first ship in the United States to deploy an operational laser weapon system. This is a major step towards improving the United States' defenses against small boats, unmanned aircraft vehicles, and artillery. It will also help allies remember the United States' naval superiority.
The new laser weapon, according to US Navy officials, will protect ships from small boats as well as mortars, rockets, or other low-cost weapons. It will also assist in countering Houthi rebels at the Red Sea. Since years, the Navy has been developing directed energy weapons. The Navy actually regularly tests new technology on the Arabian Peninsula. It has also demonstrated robots on the Persian Gulf and in the Gulf of Aden.
Northrop Grumman was awarded the contract to test and develop the laser weapon system. This contract was awarded in 2015. The company is also a member the Essex Amphibious Ready Group. The company works on the Solid State Laser - Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator. This high-energy laser weapon is a highly-energy system. The SSL-TM uses multiple lasers of different wave lengths to generate a stronger beam. SSL-TM has been successfully tested on land. The demonstration will mark the beginning of the development process for a 150 kilowatt-powered laser weapon.
The Navy has tested the laser system on USS Ponce as well as Portland. This is an interim afloat forward station in the Middle East. A suicide bomber from a small boat attacked the ship in October 2000. The attack killed two people on board and injured 37 others. The ship's engines were also damaged in the attack.