{"id":55773,"date":"2019-05-23T01:56:14","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T01:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/05\/23\/when-it-comes-to-missile-killing-lasers-the-us-navy-is-ready-to-burn-its-ships\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:02:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:02:08","slug":"when-it-comes-to-missile-killing-lasers-the-us-navy-is-ready-to-burn-its-ships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2019\/05\/23\/when-it-comes-to-missile-killing-lasers-the-us-navy-is-ready-to-burn-its-ships\/","title":{"rendered":"When it comes to missile-killing lasers, the US Navy is ready to burn its ships"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 The U.S. Navy\u2019s director of surface warfare<\/a> is ready to bet the farm on using lasers to shoot down missiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The outgoing head of the chief of naval operations\u2019 surface warfare directorate, Rear Adm. Ron Boxall, said the Navy is going to get its High Energy Laser <\/a>and Integrated Optical-dazzler with Surveillance system, or HELIOS, on the Hawaii-based destroyer Preble in 2021, a moment that he compared with Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez ordering his own ships scuttled to motivate his men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe key for us is HELOS: a shipboard laser that will take the place of what we have now,\u201d Boxall said, referring to systems such as the Close-in Weapon System and Rolling Airframe Missile, during a May interview with Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen Cortez burned his boats it was a message that they were going to win, and they were only going to win by going forward,\u201d he said. \u201cSimilarly, we are making the decision to put the laser on our DDGs. It\u2019s going to start with Preble in 2021, and when we do that, that will now be her close-in weapon that we now continue to upgrade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t