Deployment Report: Directed Energy Counter-UAS Systems — Operational Deployments vs. Test Programs

Report Date: 2026-03-09 | Use Case: Directed Energy Weapons for Counter-UAS Operations | Theater: Global, with focus on US, Israel, Ukraine-adjacent NATO

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Deployment Summary

The directed energy counter-UAS market presents one of the widest gaps between vendor marketing and verified operational deployment in the autonomous systems sector. As of March 2026, only two directed energy systems can be confirmed as operationally deployed in active or near-active threat environments: the US Navy’s HELIOS aboard USS Preble, and Israel’s Iron Beam, which achieved initial operational capability in 2024. Every other major directed energy C-UAS program remains in extended testing, limited fielding trials, or low-rate initial production — despite years of vendor announcements framing deployment as imminent.

The core problem is not technology readiness in isolation. Power generation constraints, thermal management failures in field conditions, and integration complexity with existing fire control systems have repeatedly delayed transition from test range to operational unit. The US Army’s DE-SHORAD program — arguably the most-watched directed energy C-UAS effort — has been restructured multiple times and has not achieved program of record status for operational deployment as of this report date.

The cost-per-engagement argument for directed energy remains compelling on paper: approximately $1–10 per shot in energy costs versus $30,000–$400,000 per kinetic intercept depending on the missile type. That economic case is driving continued investment. But the operational reality is that no directed energy system has yet demonstrated sustained, high-tempo counter-UAS performance in a contested environment comparable to the FPV drone saturation seen in Ukraine.

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Deployment Map

Location	Operator	System	Vendor	Status	Units	Contract Value	Date	Confidence
USS Preble (DDG-88), Pacific Fleet	US Navy	HELIOS (High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance)	Northrop Grumman	OPERATIONAL — ship-mounted, active deployment	1 installed	$150M (development + integration)	Installed 2021, active through 2026	HIGH
Negev Desert / Southern Israel (location undisclosed)	Israel Defense Forces	Iron Beam (1 MW-class laser)	Rafael Advanced Defense Systems	OPERATIONAL — IOC declared 2024	1 battery confirmed, 2nd reported	Undisclosed; program est. $200M+	IOC 2024	HIGH
Fort Sill, Oklahoma	US Army	DE-SHORAD (Directed Energy Short-Range Air Defense)	Raytheon Technologies	TESTING / LIMITED FIELDING — not program of record	4 prototype units	$130M prototype contract (2019–2023)	Testing ongoing through 2025–2026	HIGH
Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona	US Army	Leonidas Pod (HPM)	Epirus	TESTING — Army evaluation, not fielded	2–4 evaluation units	$66M contract (2022); $100M+ follow-on options	Evaluation 2023–2026	HIGH
White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico	US Army / DoD	ATHENA (Advanced Test High Energy Asset)	Lockheed Martin	TEST PROGRAM — not operationally deployed	1 test asset	Undisclosed R&D funding	Testing 2015–ongoing	HIGH
USS Portland (LPD-27), Pacific Fleet	US Navy	LWSD (Laser Weapon System Demonstrator)	Boeing / US Navy	DEMONSTRATION — not operational deployment	1 installed	Undisclosed	Demonstrated 2020; not sustained	MODERATE
Eglin AFB, Florida	US Air Force	HELWS (High Energy Laser Weapon System)	Raytheon / L3Harris	TESTING — AFRL evaluation	2 units reported	$26M AFRL contract (L3Harris, 2021)	Testing 2022–2025	MODERATE
Undisclosed INDOPACOM location	US Indo-Pacific Command	Leonidas (HPM)	Epirus	EVALUATION — theater-level assessment	1–2 units	Part of $66M+ contract	2024–2025	MODERATE
Fort Drum, New York	US Army (10th Mountain Division)	DE-SHORAD prototype	Raytheon	EXTENDED USER EVALUATION — not fielded	2 units	Part of prototype contract	2023–2024	MODERATE
Undisclosed European NATO base	NATO / US Army Europe	HELWS-MRZR (vehicle-mounted)	Raytheon	LIMITED DEPLOYMENT — evaluation, not operational	1–2 units	Undisclosed	2023–2024	LOW
Undisclosed Israeli forward position	IDF	Iron Beam (forward-deployed battery)	Rafael	REPORTED — not independently confirmed	1 battery	Undisclosed	2025	LOW
Camp Pendleton, California	US Marine Corps	CLWS (Compact Laser Weapon System)	Boeing	EVALUATION — not fielded	2 units	$11M contract (2018)	Evaluation 2019–2022; program status unclear	LOW

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Vendor Landscape

Northrop Grumman — HELIOS The only US vendor with a directed energy system confirmed operational on a deployed naval vessel. HELIOS on USS Preble represents the most mature US directed energy C-UAS deployment. The system integrates with the ship’s existing combat management infrastructure and provides both a dazzler and a hard-kill laser capability. Northrop also operates ODIN (Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy) on multiple surface combatants, though ODIN is a lower-power dazzler rather than a hard-kill system. ODIN is confirmed on at least 6 destroyers as of 2024. Deployment maturity: HIGH for naval platforms, LOW for ground applications.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems — Iron Beam The most operationally significant directed energy C-UAS deployment globally. Iron Beam achieved IOC in 2024 after years of delays, and Israel has confirmed its use in the southern threat corridor. The system targets drones, rockets, and mortars at ranges up to 7 km with a 100 kW-class laser. Cost-per-engagement is reported at under $3.50 in energy costs, compared to Iron Dome interceptors at approximately $50,000–$100,000 per missile. The operational environment — persistent low-altitude drone threats from Gaza and Lebanon — provides a real-world stress test no other directed energy system has faced at scale. Deployment maturity: HIGH for the specific threat environment; exportability and NATO applicability remain unvalidated.

Raytheon Technologies — DE-SHORAD / HELWS Raytheon holds the largest directed energy C-UAS contract portfolio in the US Army but has not transitioned any system to program of record status. DE-SHORAD has undergone multiple restructurings. The Army’s 2023 decision to pause DE-SHORAD procurement pending further testing reflected persistent issues with power system integration on the Stryker vehicle platform. HELWS, a 20 kW system designed for expeditionary use on JLTV or MRZR platforms, has completed multiple evaluations but lacks a confirmed operational deployment. Deployment maturity: MODERATE for technology readiness; LOW for operational fielding.

Epirus — Leonidas Epirus markets Leonidas as a high-power microwave system capable of disabling drone swarms through electronic disruption rather than thermal kill. The Army’s evaluation at Yuma and reported INDOPACOM assessment represent the most advanced testing of an HPM system in the US inventory. Epirus has raised over $250M and secured contracts totaling $166M+ through 2025. However, no operational deployment has been confirmed. The distinction between HPM (electronic disruption) and laser (thermal kill) matters operationally: Leonidas does not destroy drones, it disables their electronics — which creates different rules of engagement and collateral concerns in complex environments. Deployment maturity: LOW for operational deployment; MODERATE for technology validation.

Lockheed Martin — ATHENA / HELSI Lockheed’s directed energy programs remain primarily in the R&D and demonstration phase. ATHENA has demonstrated 60 kW capability against UAVs and light vehicles at White Sands but has not been integrated into a fielded platform. HELSI (High Energy Laser System Integration) targets future integration with SHORAD systems. Lockheed’s directed energy work is technically credible but commercially behind Raytheon and Northrop in near-term fielding. Deployment maturity: LOW.

Boeing — HEL MD / CLWS Boeing’s directed energy C-UAS programs have largely stalled. HEL MD (High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator) completed Army testing but was not selected for follow-on development. CLWS evaluations with the Marine Corps concluded without a production contract. Boeing’s directed energy portfolio appears to have deprioritized ground-based C-UAS in favor of airborne applications. Deployment maturity: LOW; programs appear dormant.

DroneShield — DroneSentry-X DroneShield’s systems are electronic warfare / RF-based rather than directed energy in the laser or HPM sense. They are included here because they compete in the same C-UAS procurement space and are frequently grouped with directed energy solutions in defense budgets. DroneShield’s A$216.5M revenue and 277% YoY growth reflects actual deployed systems — but the technology category is distinct. Deployment maturity: HIGH for EW-based C-UAS; not applicable for directed energy.

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Operational Insights

What works in the field:

Iron Beam’s operational deployment in Israel provides the only sustained real-world data set for directed energy C-UAS performance. Key validated findings: the system is effective against slow, low-altitude drones at ranges under 5 km in clear atmospheric conditions. Engagement times of 3–5 seconds per target have been reported. The cost-per-engagement advantage over kinetic interceptors is real and significant at scale.

HELIOS on USS Preble has demonstrated utility in the maritime environment where power generation from ship propulsion systems resolves the primary constraint that limits ground-based directed energy: available electrical power. Naval platforms are structurally better suited to directed energy than ground vehicles.

ODIN’s deployment across multiple US Navy destroyers — as a dazzler rather than hard-kill system — represents a lower-risk, lower-cost entry point that has achieved broader fleet penetration than any hard-kill directed energy system.

What fails or underperforms:

Atmospheric degradation is the most consistent operational limitation across all laser-based systems. Dust, humidity, rain, and smoke — all common in the threat environments where C-UAS capability is most needed — reduce effective range and dwell time significantly. Israel’s Negev deployment benefits from relatively favorable atmospheric conditions; performance in European or Pacific maritime environments has not been validated at operational scale.

Power generation on ground vehicle platforms remains the primary engineering bottleneck for mobile directed energy systems. DE-SHORAD’s Stryker integration problems are a direct consequence of attempting to run a 50 kW+ laser system from a vehicle power plant designed for a different load profile. No ground-based mobile directed energy system has resolved this at production scale.

Thermal management — cooling the laser itself during sustained high-tempo engagements — limits magazine depth. Unlike a kinetic system where magazine depth is a logistics problem, directed energy magazine depth is a physics and engineering problem that degrades performance mid-engagement.

Ukraine theater relevance:

No directed energy system has been deployed in the Ukraine theater as of this report date. The FPV drone saturation environment in Ukraine — high-volume, low-cost, fast-moving targets at short range — is precisely the scenario directed energy advocates cite as the use case. The absence of any directed energy deployment in Ukraine reflects both the immaturity of mobile ground systems and the logistics complexity of deploying experimental platforms in a live conflict zone.

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Procurement Implications

Buyers evaluating directed energy C-UAS for near-term operational requirements face a constrained market. Only two systems — HELIOS for naval platforms and Iron Beam for fixed-site or semi-fixed ground defense — can be assessed against operational performance data rather than test range results.

For US Navy surface combatants, HELIOS and ODIN represent a credible procurement path with demonstrated integration. The naval power generation advantage makes this the most mature directed energy C-UAS application available to US buyers today.

For US Army ground forces, no directed energy C-UAS system is ready for program of record procurement as of March 2026. Buyers should treat DE-SHORAD and Leonidas as developmental programs with 2–4 year timelines to operational fielding at best, contingent on resolving power and thermal management issues. Procurement decisions based on vendor timelines from 2022–2023 should be reassessed.

For NATO allies, Iron Beam’s export potential is the most significant near-term option for fixed-site directed energy C-UAS. Rafael has indicated export discussions are underway, but no confirmed NATO export contract exists as of this report date.

Cost-per-engagement economics favor directed energy at scale, but buyers must account for total system cost — including power generation infrastructure, maintenance, and operator training — not just per-shot energy cost. A $3.50 per-engagement energy cost on a $200M system with a 10-year lifecycle does not automatically outperform a $50,000 missile on a $5M launcher when total cost of ownership is calculated.

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Outlook

The 2026–2028 period will determine whether directed energy C-UAS transitions from a persistent near-term promise to an actual operational capability at scale.

Key milestones to watch:

• DE-SHORAD program of record decision (US Army, expected 2026–2027): A go/no-go on Stryker integration will either validate Raytheon’s mobile directed energy approach or force a platform redesign.
• Iron Beam second battery confirmation and export announcement (Rafael, 2026): A confirmed second operational battery and any NATO export contract would significantly validate the technology’s scalability.
• Epirus Leonidas operational fielding (US Army, 2026–2027): If INDOPACOM evaluation results in a deployment order rather than further testing, it would mark the first HPM system in operational US inventory.
• HELIOS fleet expansion (US Navy, 2026–2028): The Navy’s plan to expand directed energy to additional surface combatants will test whether HELIOS integration can be replicated at fleet scale without the bespoke engineering effort required for USS Preble.
• Ukraine theater introduction: Any introduction of directed energy C-UAS into the Ukraine conflict — even in a limited evaluation role — would generate the highest-value operational data set in the history of the technology.

The directed energy C-UAS sector is not failing. It is maturing more slowly than vendor timelines and defense budget allocations have implied. Buyers and investors who calibrate expectations to verified deployment evidence rather than program announcements will be better positioned for the 2027–2030 procurement cycle when the first generation of production-scale systems is likely to emerge.

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Confidence: MODERATE — Naval deployments (HELIOS, ODIN) assessed at HIGH confidence. Iron Beam IOC assessed at HIGH confidence. All US Army ground-based directed energy deployment data assessed at MODERATE to LOW confidence due to limited independent verification of test outcomes and program status. | Report Valid Until: 2026-06-09