The US Navy successfully tested its new laser weapon system aboard the USS Portland during the first week in May. During the Hawaii test, a laser was fired by the ship on an unmanned, floating aerial vehicle. This was the Navy’s first deployment of a laser weapons system on a Navy ship. Northrop Grumman created it. It is designed to combat unmanned aerial vessels and small craft. The laser is expected to be more powerful than the laser that the Navy tested on USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15) seven years 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 in the Navy's efforts upgrade the laser weapon system on ships. The laser is expected be able destroy or disable unmanned aerial vehicle, artillery, mortars and rockets. The US Navy has yet to determine the range of lasers on Portland.
USS Portland is a San Antonio-class amphibious landing dock ship. She is part USS Essex Amphibious Ready Group. She is scheduled to deploy to the U.S. 4th Fleet and will participate in the Rim of the Pacific wargames. During these exercises, Portland will be the flagship of the multinational military exercises. Three other ships will accompany the ship, including USS Little Rock, an assault ship, USS Pearl Harbor and USS Essex. All three ships will be carrying the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Portland is the expected first ship in America to deploy an operational Laser Weapon System. This will be a significant step in advancing the United States' defenses against the potential threats of small boats, unmanned aerial vehicles, and artillery. It will also be a reminder to allies of 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 aid in fighting Houthi rebels in Red Sea. For many years, the Navy worked on directed energy weapons. The Navy is known for testing new technology in the Arabian Peninsula. It has demonstrated robots in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Aden.
Northrop Grumman was awarded a contract in 2015 to develop and test the laser weapons system. The company is also a member of 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 also been tested at land. The demonstration will mark the beginning of the development process for a 150 kilowatt-powered laser weapon.
The Navy has also tested laser systems on the USS Ponce. This USS is an interim floating forward staging base in Middle East. The ship was attacked in October 2000 by a small boat-wielding suicide bomber. The attack left two dead and injured others. Two people were killed and 37 others were injured in the attack.