The U.S. Defense Department conducted a live-fire demonstration of directed-energy weapons for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at White Sands Missile Range on June 23, marking the first publicly known instance of a sitting defense secretary observing such a test [1] [2].
The demonstration, attended by Hegseth and Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael, signaled a senior-level push to transition laser and microwave systems from development to production [1] [2]. Michael told reporters the department has increased investment to scale directed-energy technologies and is addressing manufacturability and integration challenges [1].
According to reporting by Jared Keller in Laser Wars, sources familiar with the event identified five participating systems. The lasers reportedly included the 20-kilowatt Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser based on AeroVironment’s LOCUST; a 50-kilowatt P5 version of the Army’s Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense system from nLight; and Lockheed Martin’s 300-kilowatt Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser, known as Valkyrie [1] [2].
The demonstration also reportedly included two high-power microwave systems: an Indirect Fire Protection Capability variant based on Epirus’ Leonidas, and a non-kinetic variant of Raytheon’s Coyote interceptor [1].
A senior Pentagon official quoted in the reporting said the event affirmed the capacity of directed-energy systems to defeat high-density threats without the limitations of traditional magazine capacity [1]. The administration’s fiscal 2027 budget blueprint requests more than $2 billion for directed-energy research and development [2].
References
[1] Fast Company — Pete Hegseth got a live look at the Pentagon’s laser weapons
[2] Axios — Pentagon leaders observe laser-weapon tests in New Mexico
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