IRIA News

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The U.S. Department of War has awarded $86 million in initial contracts to Lockheed Martin’s Aculight and nLIGHT Defense to develop high-energy laser weapon systems designed to counter unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and cruise missiles under the Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS) program.

Announced on July 9, 2026, the awards have a combined program ceiling of $847 million, enabling future development, integration, and potential production as the Pentagon accelerates efforts to field operational directed-energy weapons. The program is managed by the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering through its Scaled Directed Energy (SCADE) Critical Technology Area.

The JLWS initiative seeks to transition laser weapons from prototype demonstrations into deployable, production-ready systems capable of providing scalable and cost-effective air defense across multiple operational environments.

Next-Generation Laser Weapons

The Department of War said the initial JLWS prototypes will deliver approximately 150 kilowatts (kW) of power to meet urgent operational requirements, particularly for countering drones.

Future versions will be scaled to between 300 and 500 kW, providing the power required to engage more demanding threats such as cruise missiles.

In parallel, the department will integrate a separate 500-kW laser source developed under the High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative (HELSI), creating a higher-powered system capable of supporting advanced air and missile defense missions.

All JLWS systems are being designed in containerized configurations, allowing them to be rapidly deployed and integrated onto both ground-based and naval platforms.

The Department of War said that using standardized containerized systems will improve operational flexibility and enable combatant commanders to deploy weapons across multiple geographic theaters.

Strengthening Air and Missile Defense

The Pentagon said the program is intended to strengthen the United States’ next-generation defense architecture against increasingly sophisticated drone and cruise missile threats.

Unlike conventional interceptor missiles, directed energy weapons engage targets at the speed of light, provide exceptionally deep magazines, and significantly reduce the cost per engagement. These capabilities are expected to improve the military’s ability to defend against large-scale drone swarms and sustained missile attacks that can quickly exhaust traditional air defense interceptors.

Recent conflicts have highlighted the growing use of inexpensive drones, rockets, and cruise missiles to overwhelm air defense systems, prompting increased investment in directed-energy technologies that can provide more sustainable defensive capabilities.

The Department of War is using Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements for the JLWS program, enabling development to proceed through faster, more flexible acquisition pathways than traditional procurement processes. “We must actively defend the homeland against emerging threats,” said Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering.

“We are partnering with industry to rapidly deliver deep magazine directed energy capabilities to the Joint Force that can be seamlessly deployed across multiple domains.”

Lockheed Martin confirmed it will develop a tactical containerized 500-kW laser weapon system under the JLWS program.

The company said the award builds on more than 15 years of investment in directed energy technology and reflects its experience designing operational laser weapons for military applications.

Paul Lemmo, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Sensors, Effectors and Mission Systems, said the system represents a significant technological milestone. “We are honored to field this operational-tactical prototype, the highest-power laser ever packaged in a transportable container,” Lemmo said. “By applying our expertise in lowering size, weight, and power along with rugged-system design, we can rapidly build containerized laser weapons in the near term.”

According to Lockheed Martin, its laser systems provide speed-of-light engagement, virtually unlimited magazines and significantly lower costs per intercept than conventional kinetic weapons, making them particularly effective against large numbers of drones and advanced cruise missile threats.

The contract has been awarded to Lockheed Martin Aculight, the company’s specialist laser technology business acquired in 2008.

nLIGHT’s Directed Energy Program

nLIGHT Defense, a high-energy lasers provider for mission‑critical directed energy applications, was also selected for the JLWS program. The company said its initial agreement is valued at $44 million, with a potential ceiling of $627 million covering follow-on development, integration and production options. The Department of War has not released the individual funding allocation for each contractor under the overall $847 million program ceiling.

Scott Keeney, chairman and chief executive officer of nLIGHT, said the award reflects the department’s increasing focus on transitioning directed energy technologies from research programs into operational military capability.

Keeney added that “nLIGHT’s vertically integrated laser architecture, state-of-the-art beam‑combination, precision tracking expertise, and production-ready high-energy laser solutions position us to deliver reliable, scalable performance in support of next-generation air and missile defense missions.”

The company said the program supports its strategy of developing production-ready laser systems that can be deployed across both land and maritime environments.

Germany advances naval laser capability

Separately, Germany has selected MBDA and Rheinmetall to develop a high-energy laser weapon system for the German Navy. he contract value is in the mid-three-digit million-euro range and covers the development of a complete system for maritime applications, including the entire operational chain from reconnaissance and target tracking to engagement. The laser weapon system is expected to be operational by 2029.

Thomas Gottschild, executive vice president for strategy and future growth at MBDA and managing director of MBDA Germany, said that the flagship technological project meets the specific requirements of the Bundeswehr and will significantly strengthen the German Navy’s defence capabilities against airborne, maritime and land-based targets. “The containerised laser effector will also be cost-efficient for port security and other applications,” Gottschild added.

According to the companies, the system completed a year of sea trials, demonstrating its ability to engage aerial, maritime and land-based targets, including drones, under adverse weather conditions.

Roman Koehne, head of Rheinmetall’s Weapon and Ammunition Division, said the system would significantly improve the protection of naval personnel, particularly against drone threats.

Growing Focus on Directed Energy

The U.S. and German programs reflect a broader effort among NATO members to accelerate the development and deployment of directed energy weapons as militaries seek more affordable and sustainable methods of defending against increasingly complex aerial threats.

While technical challenges involving power generation, thermal management and beam control have delayed widespread deployment, advances in laser technology and lessons from recent conflicts have increased confidence that high-energy laser weapons can complement conventional missile-based air defense systems in future operations.