On April 13, the U.S. Navy announced that it had defeated an in-flight target representing a subsonic cruise missile using an all-electric, high-energy laser weapon during a February demonstration. The weapon, known as the Layered Laser Defense (LLD), is equipped with a high-powered laser and a high-resolution telescope and can defend against unmanned aerial systems and fast-attack boats. The demonstration took place at the U.S. Army’s High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. There are currently no plans to field the LLD.
