Army chooses HII to develop counter-drone high-energy laser

The Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) has chosen HII's Mission Technologies division to develop an open architecture high-energy laser, the company announced this morning.

HII will develop and test a prototype that will track and destroy groups 1 through 3 unmanned systems, which are those weighing less than 1,320 pounds. The high-energy laser system will be capable of fixed-site defense and integration onto Army vehicles, according to HII.

HII will provide the data that supports that Army’s “objectives for interoperability, affordability, scalability, supply chain resilience and rapid innovation,” according to the company.

The HII award follows a RCCTO solicitation released last July that called on companies to submit white papers describing solutions capable of delivering lethal effects against groups 1 through 3 UAS. That solicitation also said the system should be capable of fixed-site defense or be capable of integrating onto an existing Army platform.

The HII award is in the form of an other transaction agreement, and the eventual goal is for it to transition to the service’s Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space, after it undergoes testing and demonstrations.

Grant Hagen, president of Mission Technologies’ warfare systems group, said today the company is “proud to provide a critical enabler for the Army, delivering an effective, interoperable, sustainable and scalable system that will meet force protection requirements and support U.S. strategic objectives.”