The Office of Naval Research and Northrop Grumman are developing a sea-based laser weapon that increases fivefold the power of the directed-energy system currently deployed in the Arabian Gulf. The Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) being developed by ONR and Northrop will have 150 kilowatts of power, a significant increase over the 30-kilowatt Laser Weapon System (LaWS) deployed aboard the Afloat Forward Staging Base Ponce (ASFB(I)-15) in the Arabian Gulf since 2014. The higher power will allow the new laser...
