US Army tests Raytheon laser weapon mounted on Polaris MRZR All-Terrain vehicle

A Polaris 4x4 All-Terrain vehicle fitted with Raytheon High Energy Lasers was tested during the Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX) at the U.S. Army Fires Center of Excellence. Advancements have been made to the Hunter and Killer platforms which provide U.S. Soldiers with counter unmanned aerial system capabilities (C-UAS).

Polaris MRZR 4x4 All-Terrain vehicle fitted with Raytheon high energy laser weapon at AUSA 2017 defense exhibition in Washington D.C. (Picture source Army Recognition)

During MFIX in April 2017, the Polaris platform showcases the ability to have C-UAS (Counter Unmanned Aerial System) on mobile systems. The High Energy Lasers weapons, or HEL are designed to detect and track manned and unmanned airborne vehicles, shipboard, ground-mobile and ground-based platforms.

The Hunter platform performs its namesake — finding enemy systems and providing the ability to call for fire and attack the target automatically. The Killer’s ability is to fight in the cyberspace battlefield, disrupting the communication ability between the unmanned aerial vehicle and its operator.

The Polaris vehicle with the laser weapon system is a new way for the U.S. Army to fight new threats as small UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Systems) able to perform suicide bomb missions against dismounted troops and combat vehicles. The Hunter finds enemy UAV and can call for fire and attack a target automatically.

The Raytheon team is combining a high energy laser with an advanced variant of Raytheon’s Multi-spectral Targeting System – a sophisticated package of electro-optical and infrared sensors mounted on a Polaris MRZR, a small, all-terrain vehicle.

The laser weapon system offers 360 degree coverage for sea, land and air applications. The laser technology of Raytheon is able to identify, tracks, and defends against enemy missiles, mortars, unmanned vehicles, swarming boat attacks and other "close-in" defense situations. It provides precise, clean, low-cost engagements with near-infinite magazines.

The Raytheon laser system generates high power output in compact and rugged packages. The open architecture features modular, scalable designs that can be integrated on a variety of tactical platforms making them available for immediate use in combat.

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Close view of Raytheon high energy laser weapon mounted on Polaris MRZR All-Terrain Vehicle (Picture source Army Recognition)