---
title: "The Air Force successfully tested a mobile laser weapon to protect convoys from enemy drones"
description: "The Air Force's Compact Laser Weapon System (CLWS) system successfully defended a force protection convoy against unmanned aerial systems while mounted on a vehicle, Boeing announced on Thursday"
date: "2020-09-14"
modified: "2020-09-14"
authors:
  - name: "Jared Keller"
    job_title: "Former Managing Editor"
    link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jaredkeller/"
url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-laser-clws-force-protection/"
categories:
  - "Air Force"
  - "Aircraft"
  - "Drones"
  - "Military Branches"
  - "News"
  - "Tech & Tactics"
  - "Weapons"
---

# The Air Force successfully tested a mobile laser weapon to protect convoys from enemy drones

![](<https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/screen-shot-2020-09-12-at-61013-pm-3.png>)

The U.S. military's [hypersonic bullets ](<https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-hypervelocity-projectile-test/>)and [robot dogs](<https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-robot-dogs-security-forces/>) aren't the only innovative technologies to get a workout during a recent Air Force exercise.

Boeing's Compact Laser Weapon System (CLWS) system successfully defended a force protection convoy against unmanned aerial systems while mounted on a ground vehicle, the company [announced](<https://www.boeing.com/features/2020/09/boeing-showcases-compact-laser-in-air-force-future-battlefield-exercise.page>) on Thursday.

The system was mounted on a Marine Corps Utility Task Vehicle that, produced by Polaris, integrated the CLWS as the first ground-based laser approved by the Pentagon for use by U.S. service members [back in](<https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/1880583/marine-corps-at-the-forefront-for-ground-based-lasers/#:%7e:text=A%20drone%2Dkilling%2C%20directed%20energy,by%20warfighters%20on%20the%20ground.>) 2019.

During the demonstration, the CLWS system didn't just counter drones with a relatively-low-powered laser beam, but also transmitted live video and readings on the threats, as well as various elements of the convoy, to operators at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, [according](<https://www.boeing.com/features/2020/09/boeing-showcases-compact-laser-in-air-force-future-battlefield-exercise.page>) to Boeing.

The demonstration took place as part of a test of the Air Force's next-generation Advanced Battle Management System, "a state-of-the-art system designed to provide combatant commanders the ability to control Department of Defense assets in real-time," [according](<https://www.expeditionarycenter.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2336663/crw-tests-advanced-battle-management-system-during-agile-combat-employment-exer/>) to the Air Force.

“In a future scenario, an integrated and networked direct energy capability – as demonstrated in this exercise by CLWS – would provide operators with vital information and a means to respond to threats at greater speeds,” said Boeing Laser & Electro-Optical Systems program manager Ron Dauk in a [statement](<https://www.boeing.com/features/2020/09/boeing-showcases-compact-laser-in-air-force-future-battlefield-exercise.page>).

The Air Force has been eyeing the CLWS at least since [taking the system for a spin](<https://jnlwp.defense.gov/Press-Room/In-The-News/Article/2020574/air-force-takes-lasers-microwave-weapons-for-a-spin-at-armys-mfix/>) at the Army's Maneuver and Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX) at Fort Sill in Oklahoma [late last year](<https://jnlwp.defense.gov/Press-Room/In-The-News/Article/2020574/air-force-takes-lasers-microwave-weapons-for-a-spin-at-armys-mfix/>).

The CLWS is already part of the Army’s [Mobile Expeditionary High Energy Laser](<https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-stryker-laser-drone-isis/>) (MEHEL) program that, since [first testing](<https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/09/29/this-laser-could-help-marines-knock-down-drones-on-the-fob-or-on-the-move/>) the system in 2016, has [slapped laser weapon](<https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-stryker-laser-weapon-europe/>)s on Stryker infantry carrier vehicles [deployed](<https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/03/21/us-army-successfully-demos-laser-weapon-on-stryker-in-europe/>) to Europe over the past several years.

As of January. the CLWS has [successfully countered](<https://defence-blog.com/news/boeings-newest-laser-gun-countered-100-unmanned-aerial-vehicles-during-tests.html>) more than 100 unmanned aerial vehicles in at least five separate tests of the system, [according](<https://defence-blog.com/news/boeings-newest-laser-gun-countered-100-unmanned-aerial-vehicles-during-tests.html>) to Defence Blog.

“The ABMS exercise is further proof of Boeing’s combat-ready capabilities,” Boeing Integrated Air and Missile Defense chief Robert Green [said](<https://www.boeing.com/features/2020/09/boeing-showcases-compact-laser-in-air-force-future-battlefield-exercise.page>) in a statement. “Military operators continue to have great success with our systems with only minimal training.”

***Related: The Air Force just fielded its first high-energy laser weapon overseas***

## Author
Jared Keller is the former managing editor of Task & Purpose. His writing has appeared in Aeon, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the New Republic, Pacific Standard, Smithsonian, and The Washington Post, among other publications.

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