Raytheon has been ramping its CUAS and air defence development programmes and production lines hot on the heels of a recent successful test of its High Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) by the UK’s lead defence science and equipment agencies.
In an announcement at Farnborough International Airshow on 22 July, the company stated that the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) agency had successfully tested HELWS the week before the show.
The test was conducted at conducted at Dstl’s range in Porton Down and the laser was integrated onto a British Army Wolfhound armoured vehicle, the first time such a weapon has been integrated on a land vehicle to be fired in the UK.
HELWS has been designed to defeat NATO Class 1 UAS. It is certified for use in combat with US forces, is in service, has achieved more than 40,000 testing hours and has downed more than 400 targets.
The next phase of testing for the UK will allow British Army soldiers to familiarise themselves with the system and refine requirements for future capability.