Lockheed Martin donates 300 kW HELSI combat laser to the Pentagon - the most powerful Death Star in the world

The United States Department of Defense has received the most powerful combat laser in the world. It is developed by the company

Lockheed Martin and called HELSI (High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative).

What is known

HELSI has a power of 300 kW, which willenough not only to destroy drones, but also to intercept missiles. This is five times more compared to the HELIOS laser (High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance). It was also developed by Lockheed Martin. The laser is installed on the USS Preble.

The Pentagon will begin testing in the coming monthssystems together with experts from Lockheed Martin Advanced Product Solutions. This year, the manufacturer will give the military an IFPC-HEL demonstration unit based on HELSI.

Laser weapons have a number of advantages in terms ofcompared to traditional. First, it will reduce the cost of a shot. Secondly, the use of a laser reduces the indirect damage from shooting and destroying the target. And it also looks impressive and you can always draw a comparison with the "Death Star" from Star Wars.

As we noted above, the first laser installationreceived the destroyer USS Preble. This is due to the fact that the US Navy is most interested in obtaining weapons for which it is not necessary to store ammunition on board the ship.