What modern high-energy lasers can do today

Bundeswehr laser weapons What Modern High-Energy Lasers Can do Today

2026-04-15 Source: Bundeswehr | Translated by AI 5 min Reading Time

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Modern laser weapons are rapidly emerging as a precise and cost-efficient complement to conventional defence systems.

Drones and increasingly complex threat scenarios are pushing established defence systems to their limits more frequently: missiles are expensive, ammunition is limited, and response times are too slow. As a result, laser weapons are becoming a key focus of military development and testing. They impress with speed, high precision, and comparatively low costs.

High-energy lasers destroy their targets compared to conventional weapons by means of a precise and focused laser beam directed at a previously selected point with sufficient energy. This creates such a high concentration of heat at that point that materials immediately begin to melt, structures are weakened, or electronics are damaged. In this way, targets can be engaged from kilometres away.

What is a laser weapon demonstrator?

A laser weapon demonstrator is a laser system with which part of the functions or the entire functional chain, meaning target detection, tracking, and engagement, of a laser weapon can be demonstrated and tested in practice together with the required system components. The aim is to identify and minimise risks and weaknesses for product maturity at an early stage. System components include laser sources, beam shaping, energy supply, cooling, optics, radar, and targeting units.

One example is the laser system MILOS (Modular Integrated Laser Optical System), which, together with other systems, is being tested by the German Armed Forces Technical Centre for Weapons and Ammunition (WTD 91) at its laser test range in Meppen, Lower Saxony. MILOS is a compact, static demonstrator that in its current configuration is used to destroy targets with little or no movement. The system can detonate munitions such as mines, disrupt cameras, or open access points, all using concentrated laser light.

Precise and portable: the MILOS test model has proven convincing. The goal is to further improve the system’s performance in order to increase the effective range or reduce the required engagement time. The system is controlled via a standard commercial gamepad and a monitor with a view of the target. Testing in Meppen has shown that operators are already familiar with this type of control from everyday life, making it intuitive to use.

Gallery

From the radiation-shielded command area of the WTD 91 laser test range in Meppen, MILOS triggers a precisely targeted detonation of an anti-tank directional mine(Source: Bundeswehr/Dirk Bannert)

From the position, the target is barely visible to the naked eye. Yet MILOS hits with pinpoint accuracy(Source: Bundeswehr/Dirk Bannert)

Mounted on the GTK Boxer, JUPITER is highly mobile and can primarily be used for convoy protection(Source: Bundeswehr/Dirk Bannert)

For now, a human operator performs target acquisition for the HoWiSM laser weapon demonstrator. AI-supported systems are also conceivable here in the future(Source: Bundeswehr/Dirk Bannert)

Effective protection on land and at sea

Another system being thoroughly tested in Meppen is the Joint Universal Platform for Laser Integration, Test and Evaluation in Realtime, or JUPITER. The German-Dutch project includes a module of the GTK Boxer system in which the required laser weapon technology is integrated, making it highly flexible. JUPITER can be deployed against drones as well as munitions. The system allows firing while on the move, making it suitable for convoy protection in the future. Cooperation with the Netherlands to optimise the system is ongoing.

Also mobile, as it has been tested on the frigate “Sachsen”, is the laser weapon demonstrator of the procurement project “High-precision and scalable effect against agile/low-signature targets in the close and very close range of naval platforms”, abbreviated HoWiSM. Using radar, the operator detects targets in the surrounding area, can then aim at them and select the target point according to the principle “what you see is what you hit”. The targeted object is then neutralised.

If the radar fails, the system can rely entirely on powerful, daylight-independent camera systems and continue to counter threats. A key feature is so-called background discrimination. This makes it possible to precisely detect targets even at long distances and track them throughout the entire engagement. The system is expected to be operational for harbour protection or platform self-defence at sea by 2029.

Prepared for drone swarms

The newest system on the test range in Meppen is the Laser Weapon Demonstrator 24, which has been optimised for tracking targets over long distances. This laser weapon, currently in the testing phase, can accurately shoot through three coins, each with a diameter of approximately four centimetres (approx. 1.6 inches), mounted on a standard commercial drone, even at long distances. On the user interface, targets are selected one after another and penetrated within seconds.

The system is primarily intended for counter-drone operations, but future deployment against missiles and artillery ammunition is also conceivable. Target tracking, meaning following a selected target even while it is moving, is handled entirely by software. In the future, targets are also expected to be selected with AI support. This will further automate the engagement of increasingly fast-moving drones and increase reaction speed even more. The system is expected to be market-ready from 2028.

Laser weapons are effective, as we have demonstrated today. Together with industry, we can take the next steps.

Armin S., Business Unit Manager Laser Technology, WTD 91

Advantages and challenges

The advantages of laser weapons are clear: lower cost per use, no need for ammunition, high precision, and an almost immediate effect. At the WTD 91 test range in Meppen, future laser systems are tested for effectiveness and further developed so they can be made available to the armed forces as soon as possible. Possible application scenarios include infrastructure protection and the protection of soldiers. In addition, high-energy lasers can be used for tasks ranging from defusing an explosive device at a distance of a few hundred metres (approx. hundreds of yards) to engaging satellites.

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However, there are also physical factors that limit these weapons. Atmospheric influences such as fog, rain, or dust can reduce the effectiveness of the laser beam. Heat shimmer near the ground can also affect precision. Critical aspects of laser weapons also include the required manufacturing technologies and the high demands placed on the quality of lasers, optics, camera systems, and mechatronics. Considerable specialised knowledge and expertise are required for production.

Furthermore, the laser weapon must withstand harsh military operating conditions. Energy management and weather conditions are taken into account in the design of such systems, as each laser weapon is optimised for a specific target spectrum and operational scenario to ensure the defence capabilities of the German Armed Forces.

On the path to market maturity

High-energy lasers, or laser weapons, are among the most technologically exciting developments within the armed forces. The German Armed Forces and their partners in science and the defence industry are working intensively to make these systems operational. For more than two decades, partners have been researching weapon-capable lasers and laser systems. The next step is to bring them to market maturity. In the future, laser weapons will likely be one thing above all: a powerful complement to conventional weapon systems, enabling adaptation to an ever-changing threat landscape.