The German Navy is getting closer to having an operational laser weapon following a year-long testing on board a warship.
Rheinmetall and MBDA are working with the German Navy to produce a laser weapon that can deal with drone threats and advanced missiles.
About the German Navy’s Anti-Drone Laser Gun
The German Navy, Rheinmetall, and MBDA deployed the directed energy weapon system on the Sachsen frigate and conducted over 100 live firing trials, as well as significantly more tracking trials. According to Rheinmetall, the laser weapon displayed a high reaction speed and accuracy, especially against unmanned aerial systems.
“Successful tests conducted on the frigate SACHSEN proved the demonstrator’s tracking capability, effectiveness and precision under real operational conditions for the first time in Europe,” Rheinmetall said in a company press release.
According to the German defense giant, the directed energy weapon can engage a wide range of targets, including unmanned aerial systems, guided missiles, rockets, artillery shells, speedboats, mortars, and drone swarms.
“The laser weapon system offers new possibilities for counter-operations against non-cooperative targets,” Rheinmetall stated.
As part of its successful target engagements, the laser weapon conducted a hit on a target without relying on terrain as a backstop for the laser’s beam. Rheinmetall referred to this as an engagement “in front of blue sky.”
Laser, or directed energy, weapons operate in the electromagnetic spectrum to convert chemical or electrical energy to radiated energy and focus it on a target. If used correctly, this focused radiated energy can result in actual physical damage that degrades, neutralizes, defeats, or destroys the target.
“Thanks to WTD 91’s [a firing range] support during the acceptance process, the demonstrator was successfully commissioned at the Laser Competence Centre in Meppen. This represents an important step towards achieving rapid market and operational readiness for a future laser system for the [German] Navy,” Rheinmetall stated.
The laser under testing has a power of 20 kilowatts and is ideal for shooting down small targets, such as drones. In principle, the weapon system can be upgraded to higher power and intercept larger targets.
US and NATO warships have encountered a significant drone and anti-ship missile threat in the Red Sea. Since 2024, Yemen-based Houthi insurgents have waged a campaign against maritime traffic in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are some of the world’s most important trade routes, as they are close to the Suez Canal.
MBDA is mainly responsible for target detection and tracking, while Rheinmetall manages the aiming system, high-energy laser source, and technical integration of the weapon system on warships.
Lasers Are Far Cheaper than Kinetic Munitions
European companies continue to develop laser weapon technology as an effective and economical solution against drone swarms. Directed energy systems offer a particularly good advantage over traditional weapon systems due to their low cost—a major point of asymmetry between low-cost drones and the expensive Western missiles historically used to shoot them down.
For example, a MIM-104 Patriot air defense missile, the gold standard in America’s air defense arsenal, costs around $3 million. A RIM-161 SM-3 air defense missile on board Navy warships can cost as much as $30 million apiece.
In comparison, a single shot by a directed energy weapon costs around $10 per shot. To be sure, these costs do not account for the overall cost of research, development, and production. But even with those costs accounted for, directed energy weapons offer a far cheaper alternative.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Shutterstock / Wojciech Wrzesien.
