The French Navy has successfully tested its new laser. The Helma-P system, mounted on a frigate, succeeded in destroying drones approaching the building in the Mediterranean.
Is this the beginning of a new era of warfare? Laser weapons are weapons that use a beam of light to damage or destroy a target. They have many advantages over conventional weapons, including surgical precision, a difficult source to locate and almost zero firing cost.
They can be used to neutralize drones, ignite objects remotely, alter optical sensors or even destroy means of communication. They could even be used to hit missiles and drones.
The French Navy is one of the armies at the forefront in this area. After testing the technology on land, she was recently pleased to have also successfully fired a laser at drones from a frigate. The system is called Helma-P (High Energy Laser with Multiple Applications – Power). It is developed jointly by Cilas and the French army.
According to Benoist Roucher, head of development and sales at Cilas who spoke in L’Usine Nouvelle, French technology has done better than meeting its objectives and is proving formidable for potential adversaries: “With our know-how in optics we manage to converge the laser beam on the target with the diameter of a euro coin. We managed to neutralize a drone 800 meters away in 1.5 seconds, and each time with 100 % of success.
Laser weapons have many advantages over conventional weapons:
The French laser is still in development (it should be available in 2024), but it has the potential to revolutionize warfare. It could allow the armed forces to carry out more precise, more effective and less costly strikes.
