Pentagon Awards nLIGHT Up to $627M Contract for 300–500 kW Joint Laser Weapon System to Counter Cruise Missiles and Drone Swarms

Pentagon Backs Next-Generation High-Energy Laser Weapon Program

The U.S. Department of Defense has selected laser technology company nLIGHT to help develop a next-generation high-energy laser (HEL) weapon designed to defeat cruise missiles and large-scale drone swarm attacks. The initial contract is valued at $44 million, with a potential total value of up to $627 million if subsequent development and production milestones are met.

The effort falls under the Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS) program, which aims to advance directed energy weapons from experimental demonstrations to actual military deployment. Defense officials envision a containerized laser weapon system that can be rapidly fielded by troops across diverse operational environments.

JLWS Program Core Objectives

The Pentagon plans to initially deploy laser systems outputting approximately 150 kW, with follow-on variants scaling up to 300–500 kW. Defense officials consider this power range essential for destroying cruise missiles in flight.

The systems will also bolster defenses against large-scale drone swarms. Compared with conventional interceptor missiles, high-energy lasers engage targets at the speed of light and can sustain operations without rapidly depleting munitions stockpiles.

Under the program, nLIGHT will develop multiple HEL weapon systems, with engineers completing integration onto military platforms prior to delivery. The company will leverage its coherent beam combination technology to scale power output, apply atmospheric correction techniques to maintain beam quality at extended ranges, and conduct production entirely in-house to accelerate manufacturing timelines.

Accelerated Acquisition Pathway

The JLWS contract builds on directed energy research nLIGHT has previously conducted for the Department of Defense. The company has delivered a 300 kW laser system through the High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative and supplied a 50 kW laser system for the U.S. Army's Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) program.

Unlike traditional defense procurement processes, JLWS uses an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement structure. This mechanism allows faster prototype development, grants greater flexibility to both government and industry throughout the development cycle, and shortens the timeline from successful testing to full-rate production.

nLIGHT Chairman and CEO Scott Keeney said the award reflects the DoD's growing emphasis on large-scale directed energy deployment. "This award reflects the Department of Defense's continued focus on transitioning directed energy weapons from prototypes to large-scale deployable capabilities, which aligns with our strategy to move beyond demonstration programs toward production platforms deployable in land and maritime environments."

Keeney also emphasized that nLIGHT's technology and manufacturing model position the company to support future air defense and missile defense missions. "nLIGHT's vertically integrated laser architecture, leading beam combining technology, precision tracking expertise, and production-ready HEL solutions enable us to deliver reliable and scalable performance for next-generation air and missile defense missions."

Preparing for Field Deployment

nLIGHT plans to use its HADES high-energy laser platform as the foundation for the new system. The platform already supports counter-drone missions, and future variants are also expected to handle threats from rockets, artillery, and mortars (RAM), with missile defense included as a planned mission set.

The Department of Defense anticipates launching field operational demonstrations of the new laser weapon system as early as 2028. If the program proceeds on schedule, production-ready laser weapons could be accelerated across multiple U.S. military services.

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