In the Gulf of Aden, the US Navy conducted demonstration tests of a high-energy laser weapon system. Test firing was carried out on a small surface target.
According to the Defense Blog, with reference to the press service of the US Fifth Fleet, the Mark 2 MOD 0 solid-state laser system was on the landing ship Portland.
The report notes that the demonstration was carried out from a static position, that is, the ship fired at the target not while moving. The photo of the laser weapon tests was taken using a short-wave infrared lens and an optical filter.
No other information about the past test and the characteristics of the laser weapon is reported.
It should be noted that the Peresvet laser complexes have been on combat duty in the Russian army since 2019.
They are designed to damage the optical systems of vehicles attempting to attack or detect mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles. Such devices can be, for example, airplanes, attack drones, cruise missiles or satellites.
Nikolay Grishchenko
