U.S. Army and Navy Collaborate on Joint Laser Weapon System Development

The U.S. Defense Department is advancing a new Joint Laser Weapon System through a collaboration between the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. The system is designed to counter incoming cruise missiles using a containerized 150-kilowatt high-energy laser, with potential to scale to at least 300 kilowatts.

Budget documents indicate the system will include a Joint Beam Control System capable of supporting 300-500 kilowatt lasers. This initiative builds on prior research from the Navy's 60-kilowatt High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance system, installed on the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Preble, and the Army's 300-kilowatt Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser system, with its first prototype expected for delivery later in 2026.

The Navy has requested $94.825 million for fiscal 2027 under its Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems program element, an increase from $14.5 million in fiscal 2026. This funding supports Joint Laser Weapon System research and development, maintenance of the existing High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance system, and upgrades to the High Energy Laser Counter Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Project test bed.

The Army's fiscal 2027 budget request does not include research and development funding for the program, following $51 million allocated in the prior year through reconciliation legislation. Instead, the Army plans $337.8 million in spending from fiscal 2028 through 2031, after completing activities on its Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser system.

Combined, the services project $675.93 million in research and development for the Joint Laser Weapon System through fiscal 2031. The Navy intends to award $31.7 million in contracts for Joint Beam Control System development in the fourth quarter of 2026 and $30 million for containerized system procurement and testing by March 2027.

The system is part of broader directed energy weapon development, with the Pentagon's fiscal 2027 budget requesting $452 million for such efforts in support of domestic missile defense. The exact connection between these funds and the Joint Laser Weapon System remains unspecified in the documents.

Lockheed Martin serves as the technical lead on both the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance and Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser programs, which inform the new system. The company is developing a containerized version of the former system.

The Navy plans upgrades to its High Energy Laser Counter Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Project test bed to support future testing of the Joint Laser Weapon System.