Field test of British Army’s latest drone-destroying mobile laser weapon reportedly a hit huge success. The Wolfhound High Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) is an armored personnel carrier with an integrated laser that uses “advanced sensors and tracking systems” to target and shoot down drones at incredible speeds. The growing threat from drones in war zonearound airports and places like that New JerseyTherefore, developing fast and powerful anti-drone weapons is becoming increasingly important.
Laser-carrying wolfhounds were recently tested in the Radnor Mountains in central Wales. Its operation relies on focusing high-powered lasers precisely on a flying drone until it malfunctions and falls from the sky. That’s why advanced sensors and tracking are crucial, but judging from the video above, skilled operators also play an important role.
According to a Ministry of Defense (MOD) press release, the merger of the Wolfhound protected personnel carrier and the HWLWS was completed by MOD’s technical department in partnership with an industry consortium led by the UK’s Raytheon Company.
“Every engagement we’ve done has eliminated a drone from the sky. While we’ve been testing various distances, speeds and altitudes, one thing remains – how quickly a drone can be “Eliminate,” enthuses Warrant Officer Matthew Anderson, trials manager for the British Army’s Close Combat Cavalry Trial and Development Group. “This is definitely a capability that can be added to the arsenal of weapons we have on the battlefield.”
The ability to deploy mobile drone tracking and neutralization systems will give the British Army an operational advantage, a senior Ministry of Defense executive added. However, the system shown does not appear to be a complete combat-ready system. Instead, HELWS is described by executives as a “demonstrator” and a step toward future capabilities.
With HELWS’s much-lauded capabilities, cost-effectiveness and efficiency in dispatching the wrong drones, we hope the MoD’s actuaries will find the money behind the sofa to protect British and allied forces from hordes of rogue drones. Human piloted (or remotely controlled) attack.