{"id":84984,"date":"2026-04-28T01:23:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T01:23:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/04\/28\/what-we-know-about-the-us-militarys-new-joint-laser-weapon-system\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:32:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:32:06","slug":"what-we-know-about-the-us-militarys-new-joint-laser-weapon-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/industry\/techwatch\/2026\/04\/28\/what-we-know-about-the-us-militarys-new-joint-laser-weapon-system\/","title":{"rendered":"What we know about the US military\u2019s new joint laser weapon system"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s note: This story originally appeared on Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. <\/i>Subscribe here<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cruise missile-killing high-energy laser weapon the U.S. Defense Department envisions as part of its \u201cGolden Dome<\/a> for America\u201d domestic missile defense shield is beginning to take shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new Joint Laser Weapon System \u2014 a collaboration between the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy that Laser Wars first reported<\/a> about in June 2025 \u2014 will initially consist of a containerized 150-kilowatt system with the potential to scale to at least 300kw to defeat incoming cruise missile threats, according<\/a> to the Navy\u2019s fiscal 2027 budget request. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The system will also include a Joint Beam Control System \u201ccapable of supporting\u201d a 300-500kw laser weapon, the documents say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The JLWS effort will leverage research and development lessons from the Navy\u2019s 60kw High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS)<\/a> system, which is currently installed<\/a> on the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Preble<\/a>, and the Army\u2019s 300 kw Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL)<\/a> system, the first prototype of which the service plans on taking delivery of<\/a> later this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy will also \u201cconduct upgrades\u201d to its High Energy Laser Counter Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Project (HELCAP)<\/a> test bed \u201cas appropriate\u201d in support of future JLWS testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While last year\u2019s Army budget request detailed<\/a> $51 million in mandatory funding for JLWS through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act reconciliation bill under its Expanded Mission Area Missile program element, this year\u2019s request does not contain any R&D funding for fiscal 2027. Instead, the proposal details plans for $337.8 million in spending starting in fiscal 2028 and running through fiscal 2031. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on the budget documents, it looks as though the service plans on closing out its IFPC-HEL activities first before kicking off its part of the JLWS effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy, however, isn\u2019t waiting around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The service requested $94.825 million under its Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems program element in fiscal 2027 \u2014 up from just $14.5 million in fiscal 2026, as Laser Wars previously reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That amount includes $79.84 million under its Surface Navy Laser Weapon System effort to jumpstart JLWS R&D, sustain the service\u2019s lone HELIOS system for future testing activities and upgrade the HELCAP test bed, which is also receiving a separate $14.978 injection, according<\/a> to the service\u2019s budget request. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The service plans on investing an additional $243.3 million into JLWS R&D under that program element through fiscal 2031.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, the Army and Navy requests total a vision of $675.93 million in R&D spending for the JLWS through fiscal 2031. The Navy plans on awarding $31.7 million in contracts for JBCS development as soon as the fourth quarter of 2026 and the $30 million in contracts for the procurement and testing of containerized JLWS by March 2027, according<\/a> to budget documents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems likely that Lockheed Martin will receive those contract. Not only is the defense prime the technical lead on both the HELIOS and IFPC-HEL efforts that will inform the JLWS, but it\u2019s also already developing a containerized version<\/a> of the former, a company executive revealed<\/a> in August 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Pentagon\u2019s fiscal 2027 budget request also contains<\/a> $452 million in R&D spending for the \u201cdevelopment, integration, and assessment\u201d of directed energy weapons in support of Golden Dome, the exact relationship with the Army and Navy\u2019s JLWS efforts is unclear.<\/p>\n\n\n\t