Directed Energy Weapons: Which Countries Have Them in 2026

Who Has Directed Energy Weapons Today

Six countries have documented laser or microwave weapon programs, from fielded combat systems to prototypes whose status is undisclosed. A 2021 Air Force report cited by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that the United States and 30 other nations are developing directed energy weapons. Most of those efforts focus on counter-drone missions.

Israel and South Korea both claim the first operational military laser. In December 2025, the Israeli Defense Ministry delivered the first combat-ready Iron Beam system to its military. In South Korea, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) contracted Hanwha Aerospace in June 2024 to mass-produce the Block-I laser.

The United States tests both high-energy lasers and high-power microwave systems in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. In September 2026, the U.S. Army awarded its first production contract for a high-energy laser weapon system. European militaries and China are advancing their own programs on ships and tactical vehicles.

Lasers and Microwaves: The Two Families

Directed energy weapons use concentrated electromagnetic energy to combat enemy forces and equipment. The Department of Defense (DOD) notes that these systems destroy, disable, or incapacitate targets without relying on kinetic impact. They fall into two main families.

The first family is high-energy lasers. A laser emits a narrow, focused beam of light in the visible or infrared spectrum to engage one target at a time. The GAO notes that a laser output of at least 1 kilowatt can melt steel. U.S. lasers run from RTX's 10-kilowatt-class palletized HELWS to the Army's 300-kilowatt-class IFPC-HEL, and our guide to anti-drone lasers covers the drone-defense models.

The second family is high-power microwave (HPM) systems. Microwaves have longer wavelengths and produce bursts of energy exceeding 100 megawatts. GAO reports that this output is nearly 150,000 times that of a household microwave. Rather than burning through materials, anti-drone microwave systems project an electromagnetic cone that disrupts unshielded electronics.

GAO also classifies millimeter-wave systems as directed energy. These weapons operate at wavelengths of 1 to 10 millimeters and generate power above 1 kilowatt. Like microwave systems, they can engage several targets at the same time.

The US Programs by Service

The United States has tested directed energy prototypes since deploying what the Congressional Research Service (CRS) calls the first operational U.S. directed energy weapon, a 30-kilowatt laser, aboard USS Ponce in 2014. Modern efforts span all branches.

The U.S. Army is testing several ground-based systems. Its Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) integrates a 50-kilowatt laser onto a Stryker vehicle. Four prototypes deployed to the Middle East in early 2024. Initial soldier feedback was reportedly 'not overwhelmingly positive,' and officials noted that lab results differ from tactical environments.

In September 2026, the service awarded a production contract for the Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL). Defense News reported the award at $464.8 million to AeroVironment, which will deliver dozens of 30-kilowatt LOCUST lasers. The Army calls E-HEL its first production contract for a high-energy laser weapon system.

In the microwave arena, the Army is developing the Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Power Microwave (IFPC-HPM). Built by Epirus on its Leonidas system, two Generation II prototypes are under a $43.5 million contract awarded in July 2025. The Marine Corps also awarded Epirus an $11 million Office of Naval Research contract for the High-power microwave Autonomous Vehicle Operational Capability (HAVOC), a vehicle-mounted counter-swarm microwave (see our guide to drone swarm technology).

The Navy continues trials on surface combatants. The War Zone reported that Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet said the 60-kilowatt-class High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) neutralized four drones in a Navy counter-drone demonstration at sea in fall 2025. USS Preble remains the only ship equipped with HELIOS. The Air Force has conducted tests with its containerized Tactical High Power Microwave Operational Responder (THOR) demonstrator and HELWS, a laser mounted on light vehicles.

What Directed Energy Can and Cannot Do Against Drones

Directed energy weapons offer advantages over conventional missile defense. Lasers strike at the speed of light. Operators can re-engage targets in seconds without waiting for an interceptor flight time. CRS notes that the cost per laser shot is equivalent to the electrical power required to fire it.

Lasers have hard limits. High-energy lasers require an unobstructed line of sight. They cannot engage targets hidden behind terrain or buildings. Atmospheric conditions degrade beam quality. Dust, sand, rain, smoke, and salt scatter the energy. Heavy fog can disperse the beam entirely.

Thermal blooming also weakens laser shots by heating the air along the beam path. Lasers engage one target at a time. The system must hold energy on a single spot for several seconds to burn a sensor, battery, or fuel tank. Retargeting takes several more seconds.

High-power microwaves behave differently. They project a broad electromagnetic cone that can disable an entire drone swarm in a single pulse. However, microwave power drops sharply over distance. Microwaves also present a risk of fratricide by affecting all unshielded friendly electronics in the target area.

Spending and Program Maturity

A GAO report noted that the Pentagon spent roughly $1 billion annually on directed energy research and development. CRS puts appropriations at $1.65 billion in fiscal year 2023 and $1.12 billion in fiscal year 2024.

The Pentagon's request then fell to $789.7 million for fiscal year 2025. CRS reports that the Pentagon's roadmap aimed to raise laser power from about 150 kilowatts to the 500-kilowatt class by fiscal year 2025, with industry work under the High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative (HELSI).

Transition planning remains a major obstacle. GAO found that integration challenges have prevented widespread operational deployment across the services. Testing continues at domestic facilities, including a pilot program led by Joint Interagency Task Force 401 across five U.S. military bases announced in May 2026.

Companies Building Directed Energy Systems

Major defense contractors lead system integration for directed energy weapons. Lockheed Martin developed the HELIOS naval laser and the Layered Laser Defense demonstrator. It also participates in the multi-service HELSI laser scaling project alongside nLight-Nutronics, Northrop Grumman, and General Atomics.

RTX produces the High Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS), which the company states is certified for combat use with over 25,000 operational hours. RTX also developed the Phaser and CHIMERA microwave systems for air base defense. For larger fixed-site laser defense, Dynetics was reportedly selected as the system integrator for the Army's IFPC high-energy laser (IFPC-HEL) program.

Specialized firms supply tactical platforms. AeroVironment expanded into directed energy by completing its acquisition of BlueHalo in May 2025. BlueHalo developed the LOCUST laser system now contracted under E-HEL. AeroVironment previously delivered 20-kilowatt-class LOCUST units on Joint Light Tactical Vehicles for the Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser effort.

In the microwave sector, Epirus builds the Leonidas solid-state microwave system behind the Army's IFPC-HPM. International contractors include Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems in Israel, Hanwha Aerospace in South Korea, and MBDA working with Rheinmetall and QinetiQ across Europe.

What Buyers and Planners Must Weigh

Military planners should not treat directed energy weapons as standalone air defenses. Lasers work best when integrated into layered architectures alongside missile interceptors and electronic jamming. Israel fields Iron Beam alongside Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Arrow batteries to balance low per-shot costs with all-weather coverage.

High-energy lasers are unsuitable for operations requiring over-the-horizon interception or combat in persistent fog and heavy rain. Microwave weapons should not be deployed where friendly communications and electronic equipment cannot be shielded from fratricidal pulses.

Our assessment would shift if contractors field compact, multi-megawatt systems that overcome adverse weather without massive cooling footprints. If you are weighing directed energy stocks, read our guide to drone detection first, because a laser or microwave can only engage what sensors find, then compare the makers above in our counter-drone systems overview.

Unpublished Specifications and Sourcing Limits

Several performance figures for directed energy weapons are unpublished. No military publishes engagement ranges for its laser or microwave weapons. CRS reports Raytheon's claim that HELWS can operate at up to 3 kilometers, but no range is published for E-HEL, Iron Beam or DragonFire.

Power ratings for foreign systems are also unpublished. The War Zone, citing earlier reports, puts Iron Beam at 100 to 150 kilowatts, but Rafael has not published the official rating. China has released no power, range, or operational data for the LY-1 laser.

Cost-per-shot metrics also require careful reading. Foreign estimates range from £10 per DragonFire shot, cited by the UK Ministry of Defence, to about 2,000 won (about $1.45) for South Korea's Block-I reported by Korea JoongAng Daily. U.S. military services do not publish dollar-per-shot figures, describing costs only as the price of required electrical power.