The U.S. Army is scheduling in the 2025 first quarter a competition for the proposals it received to develop the service’s short-range air defense system called Enduring High Energy Laser, or HEL, Defense News reported Monday.
The proposals were collected during the Army’s industry day in July, with team submissions as well as individual entries, Lt. Gen. Robert Rasch, the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office director, said.
The service has recently deployed laser prototypes, including 50-kilowatt systems designed to counter short-range threats.
Raytheon delivered the first 50-kw prototype with Kord Technologies, a KBR unit, as the lead integrator.
In addition, the Army’s RCCTO is currently assessing options on 10-, 20- and 300-kilowatt systems for wide-ranging threats and missions.
The service branch expects to receive in 2025 the 300-kilowatt laser, which is geared for indirect fire protection against such threats as rockets, mortars and drones.
Rasch’s office is also waiting for two other prototypes that the teams of Lockheed Martin and nLight are separately developing.
