Sputnik International:
New information shows that Lockheed Martin’s HELIOS laser weapons system may eventually replace Gatling guns and missile launchers on US Navy ships. HELIOS, named after the god of the sun in Greek mythology, shoots laser beams far stronger than anything that has ever been used on a US Navy ship before — the beams are planned to be 150 kilowatts.
In contrast, the Laser Weapon System (LaWS) that was mounted on the amphibious transport dock of the USS Ponce in 2014 had a laser strength of about 30 kilowatts. As reported last month by Sputnik News, the Navy plans to put a HELIOS laser weapon on ships within 24 months.
According to materials obtained from Lockheed Martin at the 2018 SeaAirSpace expo at National Harbor, Maryland, by We Are The Mighty, HELIOS is a candidate to replace the MK-15 Phalanx Close-in Weapons System (CIWS) and the RIM-116 missile system on the US fleet.
