The U.S. Army has long taken pride in its ability to pivot when the battlefield evolves. As drones, loitering munitions, and precision-guided rounds become increasingly prevalent, guarding troops in transit has acquired a new sense of importance. To counter this threat, the Army is looking to something that seemed plucked from science fiction not long ago: high-energy lasers.
And leading the charge is the DE M-SHORAD system—short for Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense—carried on a Stryker and armed with a 50-kilowatt-class laser that can destroy drones, mortars, and even small rockets.
This is not merely a small step ahead—it’s a paradigm shift in how the Army approaches defending moving forces. On a combat-proven, highly mobile Stryker platform, the system provides quick, quiet, and accurate protection from a broad variety of aerial threats. In contrast to those missile-based defense systems, which are costly and have limited ammo, the laser provides low-cost shots and, as long as it’s powered, essentially unlimited shots.
Army Air Defense Artillery School Brig. Gen. Glenn Henke describes it as a milestone for combating airborne threats. When one of the first DE M-SHORAD prototypes was put in the Fort Sill Museum, it wasn’t a museum piece—it was an acknowledgement that this system is already part of Army history.
Getting it into the hands of soldiers wasn’t easy. The Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), in collaboration with the Advanced Concepts and Critical Technologies Project Office, condensed years of work into mere months, always weaving in soldier input. A test platoon of four laser-mounted Strykers was deployed to Fort Sill, where soldiers could test the system in real-world battlefield scenarios—not on paper or in a lab, but under scenarios that simulate actual combat.
The initial big test came when the 4th Battalion, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment subjected the system to live-fire testing with both kinetic and directed energy weapons. These weren’t training exercises per se—troops had to deal with dense swarms of drones and simulated rockets requiring split-second reactions.
All aspects, from targeting priority to integration with supporting defenses, had to be reviewed. Col. Steven D. Gutierrez, program manager for directed energy at RCCTO, said emphasis is now on doctrine, training, and manning so that the soldiers can use the system as well as it was meant to be used.
Industry has been at the forefront. Companies such as nLIGHT have created hardened 50-kilowatt lasers that can survive battle conditions, and the new contracts underscore the Army’s commitment to going from prototype to operational deployment. Raytheon has also experimented with laser technology on Army vehicles and airplanes, showing flexibility across platforms. According to nLIGHT CEO Scott Keeney, these systems are no longer in the experimental phase—they’re ready for deployment.
All the same, the journey has not been without hiccups. Recently, a government report cited that the DE M-SHORAD system remains too immature for mass deployment, deferring full-scale production. There is uncertainty whether the Stryker is the best platform, with power demands, heat management, and durability being more problematic than anticipated. Instead of rushing, the Army has stretched out testing, incorporating further feedback from troops to get the system right before broader deployment.
In spite of these challenges, the Army is plowing ahead with its vision for layered air defense. The laser-armed Stryker is only one piece, with next-generation improvements already underway, from new interceptors to even more powerful directed-energy systems. RCCTO continues to look into combinations of sensors, platforms, and weapons intended to stay ahead of rapidly moving drones and missiles.
For the troops who tested the system, watching a laser silently take out drones with no noise is awe-inspiring—it gives a glimpse of tomorrow’s battlefield. Directed energy won’t fix everything, but it provides a good piece of business for the Army. Whether it becomes standard issue or stays a bold experiment, it hinges not only on technology but on whether the Army can listen, learn, and adapt. So far, that willingness to evolve might prove to be its strongest advantage of all.