The US Navy successfully tested its new laser weapon system aboard the USS Portland during the first week in May. During the Hawaii test, a laser was fired by the ship on an unmanned, floating aerial vehicle. This was the first time the Navy had deployed a laser weapon system on a ship. Northrop Grumman developed it and intended to be used against small craft and unmanned aerial vehicles. The laser is expected to be more powerful than the laser that the Navy tested on USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15) seven years ago.
The laser system on Portland will likely be 150 Kilowatts. This is five-fold more powerful than the 30 Kilowatt laser that was tested by the Navy aboard the USS Ponce. This is part a Navy effort to upgrade laser weaponry on ships. It is expected that the laser can kill or disable unmanned aircraft, artillery. mortars and rockets. The US Navy has not yet determined the range of the laser on Portland.
USS Portland is a San Antonio-class amphibious landing dock ship. She is part of the USS Essex Amphibious Ready Group. She will join the Rim of Pacific wargames and deploy to U.S. 4th Fleet. Portland will be the flagship of these multinational military drills. The ship will also be accompanied by three additional ships: USS Little Rock, a amphibious assaultship, USS Pearl Harbor, a amphibious landing ship, and USS Essex. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit is carried by all three ships.
Portland is expected to be the first ship in the United States to deploy an operational laser weapon system. This will be a significant step in advancing the United States' defenses against the potential threats of small boats, unmanned aerial vehicles, and artillery. It will also serve to remind allies of America's naval superiority.
According to the US Navy, the new laser weapon can protect ships from small boats and mortars as well as rockets and other cheap weapons. It will also help counter Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. For many years, the Navy worked on directed energy weapons. The Navy is known for testing new technology in the Arabian Peninsula. It has also demonstrated robots on the Persian Gulf and in the Gulf of Aden.
Northrop Grumman received the contract to design and test the laser weapon in 2015. The company is also a member the Essex Amphibious Ready Group. The company works on the Solid State Laser - Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator. This high-energy laser weapon is a highly-energy system. Multiple lasers are used to create a stronger beam with the SSL-TM. SSL-TM has been successfully tested on land. The demonstration is expected to be the first step in the development of a 150 kilowatt laser weapon.
The Navy also tested the laser system at USS Ponce, an interim forward-staging base in the Middle East, along with Portland. The ship was attacked by an unidentified suicide bomber using a small boat in October 2000. Two people died and 37 were injured during the attack. Two people were killed and 37 others were injured in the attack.