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The USS Preble, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, successfully used Lockheed Martin's High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance system (HELIOS) to neutralize four drones during a Navy counter-UAS event last year. This demonstration, disclosed in Lockheed Martin's financial update, highlights the potential of laser systems as a cost-effective alternative to traditional missile defenses for close-range threats.

The HELIOS system, a 60-kilowatt class laser integrated with the Aegis Combat System, can perform both soft-kill functions and hard-kill engagements. Lockheed Martin emphasizes the system's role in conserving interceptor missiles for higher-end threats and its alignment with the Homeland Defense Mission, including the Golden Dome initiative.