Raytheon UK, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) have successfully tested Raytheon's High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) integrated onto a British Army combat vehicle, the first test of its kind in the UK.

This ground-breaking test, conducted at Dstl's range in Porton Down, saw the laser weapon fired at full power whilst integrated onto a British Army Wolfhound armoured vehicle. The lightweight, portable HELWS is the first laser weapon integrated on a land vehicle to be fired in the UK. 

This milestone marks a major leap forward in the UK Ministry of Defence's Land Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) Demonstrator programme. The increasing prevalence, proliferation and evolution of drone warfare makes the rapid adoption of counter-UAS technologies ever more important.

This variant of the HELWS has been designed to defeat NATO class 1 drones whilst being easily compatible within existing air defence systems, including radar, command and control and other platforms.