WASHINGTON — In the Army’s latest step to beef up its counter-unmanned aerial system capabilities, the service has formally asked industry for ideas to field high-energy laser systems capable of blasting small- to medium-sized drones out of the sky.
According to a request for information filed late last week, the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) is seeking solutions to protect “semi fixed” and maneuver forces from Group 1 and 2 drones and Group 3 “one way attack” drones for its Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program, the Army’s first program of record for a new family of high-energy lasers. RCCTO said it’s looking to acquire 20 E-HEL systems using a modular open systems approach, with an award expected to be “initiated” in the second quarter of fiscal year of 2026 “or later.”
“Interested sources responding to this RFI must have demonstrated expertise in the production of technically sophisticated laser weapon system components, supply chain management, integration, and assembly, a secret facility clearance, strong configuration management and quality controls, HEL weapon system experience, test experience, and the ability to support multiple concurrent weapon system integration activities,” the RFI read.
In addition to the E-HEL having to protect “semi fixed” and maneuver forces, it also must be able to mount on Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and be deployed as a “palletized” unit. It must also be ground transportable and meet requirements for C-17 transport.
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Vendors will have to demonstrate their solutions in front of the Directed Energy Project Office (DEPO), which is under RCCTO, if they do not have recent government-witnessed test data, per the RFI. The demonstrations are taking place at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah from Dec. 8-19 and Jan. 5-30. Responses to the RFI are due Nov. 21.
“DEPO will also witness the key attributes of fluence, tracker performance, engagement track range and laser quality track to determine if systems that do not achieve a hard kill on Group 3 UAS have the potential to scale and be lethal against Group 3 OWA [one way attack] threat UAS,” the RFI read.
Though the RFI does not guarantee solicitations, it does signal that the Pentagon is moving forward with its plans to field more directed energy weapons, which have long held hope that they could serve as a more affordable solution to shooting down drones. However, the Defense Department has struggled to bring the technology past initial development and demonstrations.