The US Department of War announced on July 9, 2026, that two Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS) agreements had been awarded to nLIGHT Defense and Lockheed Martin Aculight, aimed at turning high-energy laser prototypes into field-ready systems against drones and cruise missiles.
The Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements carry an initial value of $86 million and a total program ceiling of $847 million. They were executed by the Scaled Directed Energy (SCADE) Critical Technology Area, which operates under the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering.
According to the department, the program seeks to transition directed energy capabilities from demonstration prototypes into production-oriented platforms. This is intended to give combatant commanders scalable intercept options against both asymmetric and high-tier threats.
Scaling from 150 kW to cruise missile defense
Initial JLWS prototypes will be rated at approximately 150 kW, a power level suited to countering unmanned aerial systems. Subsequent iterations will be scaled to the 300-500 kW range considered necessary for robust cruise missile defense. A 500 kW integrated system, built around a laser source developed under the High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative (HELSI), will also be developed in parallel.
The systems will use containerized form factors designed for modular integration on both ground and naval platforms, allowing rapid fielding across geographic combatant commands.
“We must actively defend the homeland against emerging threats,” said Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, adding that the department was partnering with industry to deliver deep magazine directed energy capabilities across multiple domains.
Rebalancing the cost of air defense
These awards come amid a wider push to rebalance the cost equation of air defense, after the wars in Ukraine and Iran saw interceptors worth millions of dollars expended against drones costing a few thousand each. Lasers promise speed-of-light engagement, deep magazines and a cost-per-shot measured in dollars of electricity, attributes seen as essential against high-volume drone swarms, though weather and beam stability remain limiting factors.
The announcement follows a series of directed energy milestones in the United States, including the first Golden Dome test, which reportedly used directed energy to defeat drones and cruise missiles. The Pentagon is also deliberating over deploying laser-based counter-drone systems at sensitive US locations after repeated incursions near military installations.
The push is not limited to the United States. On the same day, July 9, 2026, Germany’s procurement agency BAAINBw signed a contract with MBDA Deutschland and Rheinmetall to develop a containerized high-energy laser weapon system for the German Navy, building on a demonstrator tested aboard the frigate Sachsen. The contract targets an operational system by 2029.