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Directed-energy weapons (DEWs) use concentrated electromagnetic energy to affect a target. Militaries are developing and testing them chiefly for missions such as countering drones, but prototypes and future power targets are not the same as widely fielded capabilities. Their usefulness depends on the weapon, target, weather, available power, and mission.
What counts as a directed-energy weapon?
DEW is an umbrella term, not the name of one weapon. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) describes these systems as using concentrated electromagnetic energy to affect forces or assets. Depending on the technology and settings, an effect may range from temporarily dazzling or degrading electronics to physically damaging or destroying a target.
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Unlike a missile or bullet, a DEW delivers energy to a target rather than sending a conventional projectile. That difference can matter for engagement speed and ammunition logistics, but it does not remove practical limits such as range, power supply, or the need to reach the target effectively.
How do the main types differ?
The principal distinctions are the energy beam, the area it can affect, and the intended target effect. No type is universally best; suitability depends on the mission and the conditions.
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| Technology | Beam and engagement pattern | Potential use or effect |
|---|---|---|
| High-energy laser (HEL) | Narrow beam, typically directed at one target at a time | Can dazzle or physically damage a target. Its precision can suit a defined target, but atmospheric conditions can degrade performance. |
| Millimeter-wave weapon | Broader beam than a laser; may affect targets across an area | Can produce effects on people or equipment without relying on a narrow, single-target beam. |
| High-power microwave (HPM) system | Broad-area electromagnetic effect that may reach multiple targets | Considered for area-defense missions, including some counter-drone scenarios, where affecting electronics is relevant. |
These descriptions are broad categories, not guarantees of what any particular system can do. The target, distance, environment, system design, and desired level of effect all matter.
Why are militaries interested, especially for counter-drone defense?
GAO says, “There is a surge in interest in directed energy weapons from several nations—including the U.S.—primarily for counter drone missions.” Drones can present a defense problem in which a system may need to engage multiple threats or preserve conventional ammunition. A DEW could complement existing defenses: a laser may engage a particular target, while an HPM system may be considered when a broader effect is useful.
Those potential advantages are conditional. A laser needs a usable line of sight and sufficient time and energy on target; a broader-area system may affect friendly as well as hostile equipment in the same area. DEWs should therefore be understood as possible additions to a layered defense, not as replacements that work for every target or situation.
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In principle, electromagnetic energy reaches a target at light speed, and a system with adequate power may avoid the conventional ammunition limits of a missile-based defense. Some DEWs may also allow graduated effects, such as dazzling before moving to a more destructive action. These are potential benefits, not universal promises: the sources do not establish a general combat-effectiveness rate or a dependable cost-per-shot figure.
What limits their use?
Weather and range
GAO identifies shorter range than conventional weapons in general as a limitation. Fog and storms can reduce a laser’s range and beam quality, making performance dependent on atmospheric conditions. A beam-based system also needs a clear path to the target.
Power, cooling, and platform integration
Generating and sustaining a powerful beam creates demanding engineering requirements. Systems need power and cooling, and they must be integrated with a platform that can carry and operate them. Raising a weapon’s output is not enough on its own: the system must also maintain useful beam quality and efficiency.
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Effects on people and nearby systems
GAO says long-term health effects remain unclear and notes that the application of legal guidance is not always well defined. Broad-area effects raise another operational concern: friendly assets may be affected alongside hostile targets. These questions matter to decisions about where, when, and under what rules a system can be used.
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A prototype demonstration does not establish that a military service has adopted a weapon. GAO’s transition review emphasizes the difficulty of moving promising prototypes into acquisition programs, including the need for transition partners, user feedback, and documented plans. The review page includes October 2025 updates describing Air Force planning steps, including a Transition Tiger Team and formal partnership examples; those management actions do not themselves prove operational fielding.
What is being developed, and what is still only a target?
Publicly described U.S. efforts illustrate why system status and planned performance need to be kept separate. GAO’s Army modernization review describes efforts under development and decisions that remained uncertain.
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| Effort or figure | What the source establishes | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| DE M-SHORAD | GAO describes an Army effort incorporating a 50-kilowatt-class laser on a Stryker. | The laser class is not a general DEW benchmark, and the description alone does not establish broad operational deployment. |
| IFPC HEL | GAO describes a 300-kilowatt-class high-energy laser under development. Army officials delayed a transition decision to collect more testing, integration, and user data. | Officials said the effort might not transition; the class figure is not evidence of a fielded system. |
| IFPC HPM variant | GAO describes an HPM variant under development. | The description does not establish a completed transition or operational status. |
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) reported on January 7, 2026, that the Department of Defense was not known to have directed-energy programs of record. That is a statement about acquisition status in the CRS primer, not a claim that no systems have been tested or demonstrated.
Budget figures measure investment, not capability
CRS reported the following unclassified U.S. Department of Defense figures. Requests and appropriations are different budget stages, and none of these amounts by itself demonstrates that a system is operational.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors| Fiscal year | Request | Appropriation |
|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | $962.4 million | $1.1 billion |
| FY2025 | Approximately $789.7 million | Not stated in the January 7, 2026 CRS primer |
In that primer, CRS said the Department had not provided an FY2026 topline. These figures cover unclassified DE programs as reported by CRS; they are not a measure of combat readiness or effectiveness.
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Roadmap power levels are goals, not achieved performance
CRS reported that a Department of Defense roadmap dated May 17, 2024, planned to move from around 150 kilowatts currently feasible to 500 kilowatts in the 2025–2030 timeframe, with megawatt levels later. These are roadmap targets, not confirmation that a system has reached those levels or entered service. As Dr. Jim Trebes, former Principal Director for Directed Energy, put the purpose of HELSI, as quoted by CRS: “to demonstrate laser output power scaling while maintaining or improving beam quality and efficiency.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is known about programs outside the United States?
The CRS primer discusses selected unclassified programs in China and Russia, but public claims should be treated with care. It attributes reports of a road-mobile Chinese 30-kilowatt LW-30 laser and other developments to U.S. government and commission sources, and relays U.S. intelligence assessments about Chinese systems directed at satellite sensors. Those attributions are not independent verification of every reported capability.
CRS also describes Russian research and the Peresvet system while noting that some details remain unclear. Publicly available descriptions therefore support a picture of international development and reported systems, not a definitive, complete inventory of what each country can field or achieve.
Will directed-energy weapons change future warfare?
They could change particular engagements if systems can deliver reliable effects under operational conditions and move successfully from testing into acquisition. Counter-drone defense is a prominent near-term driver, but the evidence does not support treating DEWs as a universal substitute for conventional weapons or as a capability already transformed by roadmap power targets.
The consequential questions are practical: whether a service will adopt a tested system, whether it can supply and cool the weapon on the intended platform, how it will operate in poor weather or near friendly equipment, and what doctrine and health guidance will govern use. Defense planners must also weigh investment in DEWs against conventional munitions and ensure that development has transition partners, user feedback, and a viable acquisition path.
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