Inside America's laser revolution as the military nears big battlefield breakthrough

For decades, laser weapons have represented one of the Pentagon's most ambitious technological goals — promising to shoot down enemy drones and missiles at the speed of light without expending costly interceptors.Now, after years of testing and false starts, the Army appears poised to take its biggest step yet toward making that vision a battlefield reality.The Army is nearing a contract award for the enduring high energy laser (E-HEL), a system that, if fielded as expected, would represent the service's first laser weapon to transition into a permanent operational capability.The development comes as the Pentagon races to adapt to a new era of warfare in which inexpensive drones can overwhelm traditional air defenses and force militaries to expend missile interceptors costing hundreds of thousands — or even millions — of dollars.If fielded, the enduring high energy laser would mark a significant step toward giving U.S.

forces a new way to counter those threats without relying solely on costly kinetic weapons.PENTAGON CONSOLIDATES DRONE OVERSIGHT AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PUSHES RAPID UNMANNED WARFARE EXPANSIONAnti-drone laser system trialed on a Stryker combat military vehicle with a machine gun aimed at the sky in Ukraine during a counteroffensive.(Michelle Ursi/Getty Images)In July, Army acquisition chief Lt.

Gen.Frank Lozano said the service was negotiating a contract with AeroVironment for the Enduring High Energy Laser, describing it as the Army's first program of record for a family of high-energy laser systems.

He said the technology had shown "a lot of recent promise and capability" during testing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.A source with knowledge of the program told Fox News Digital the Army is nearing a contract award, though negotiations are continuing and nothing has been finalized.The Army's move is not happening in isolation.In July, the Air Force disclosed it is using the compact laser weapon system at multiple locations oversea...