The U.S. Army has never been content to stand still, particularly when the battlefield begins to shift. As drones, loitering weapons, and precision-guided projectiles become increasingly prevalent, guarding troops on the move have acquired an entirely new sense of urgency. To counter this, the Army is embracing something that previously sounded like fiction: high-energy laser weapons. At the forefront of this effort stands the DE M-SHORAD system—short for Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense—housed in a Stryker vehicle and equipped with a 50-kilowatt-class laser designed to disable drones, mortars, and even small rockets.
This is not just another incremental step. The DE M-SHORAD represents a fundamental change in the Army’s approach to air defense. Assembled on a very mobile and combat-proven Stryker platform, it provides rapid, silent, and accurate defense against a broad variety of air threats. Unlike other air defense systems that use costly missiles or ammunition with limited rounds, the laser system provides low-cost shots and an almost unlimited magazine—just keep it plugged in.
As Brig. Gen. Glenn Henke of the Army Air Defense Artillery School pointed out, this capability is a true milestone in the battle against airborne threats. When one of the original DE M-SHORAD prototypes was donated to the Fort Sill Museum, it was not just a tech display—it was an acknowledgment that the system had already become part of Army history.
Naturally, getting this new technology into the hands of soldiers wasn’t easy. The Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) and its Advanced Concepts and Critical Technologies Project Office accelerated the program in record time. Decades of development were squeezed into months, with soldier feedback infused into each stage. A test platoon of four laser-equipped Strykers was rapidly shipped to Fort Sill, where soldiers could evaluate them in realistic battlefield simulations—not only on paper or in the lab, but on the battlefield where it matters.
The first key milestone was achieved when the 4th Battalion, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment led the system into a live-fire exercise integrating both kinetic and directed energy weapons. These weren’t routine drills, either—dense swarms of drones and mock rocket attacks that required soldiers to think on their feet.
Targeting priorities, coordination with built-in defenses—everything had to be reimagined. Col. Steven D. Gutierrez, the program manager for directed energy within RCCTO, noted that with the technology now being delivered, focus is turning to doctrine, training, and manning—ensuring soldiers understand how to employ it as well as it was designed.
Industry has been a critical piece of the equation. The likes of nLIGHT have worked on creating rugged and dependable 50kW-class lasers to withstand harsh battlefield environments. Their new contract is indicative of the seriousness with which the Army is pursuing this transition from prototype to production.
Raytheon, for its part, has also tested laser technology with Army vehicles and aircraft, illustrating the versatility of this type of weapon across platforms. As nLIGHT CEO Scott Keeney put it, this is no longer a science lab—these systems are ready to roll.
All the same, it hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing. A recent government report highlighted the DE M-SHORAD system as still being too immature for large-scale deployment. That has brought production to a halt and prompted concerns about whether the Stryker is still the most suitable platform for the laser. Power requirements, heat management, and ruggedization have all been more difficult than anticipated. Instead of hurrying the process, the Army is extending its testing phase, taking additional input from soldiers on the ground and perfecting the system prior to going wide with it.
Despite those challenges, the Army has not hesitated in its overall strategy to modernize air defense with multi-layered systems. The Stryker equipped with lasers is merely one component of that vision. Next-generation upgrades are already on the drawing board, from new kinds of interceptors to more capable directed energy. The RCCTO is remaining bold, experimenting with new sensor-platform-weapon combinations capable of keeping up with fast-changing drone and missile threats from future competitors.
For the troops who’ve gotten a chance to test the system, watching laser beams quietly take down drones out of the air is not merely impressive—it’s a true sneak peek at what the battlefield will be like in the years to come. Directed energy won’t do it all, but it puts a mighty new tool in the Army’s arsenal. Whether it turns into a lasting mainstay or merely a daring experiment is not only a function of the technology, but of how adept the Army remains at adjusting, listening, and learning its way through it. And so far, that inclination to adapt might prove to be its strongest weapon of all.