U.S. Army Debuts Stryker-Mounted DE M-SHORAD Laser in Live Field Test
U.S. Army Debuts Stryker-Mounted DE M-SHORAD Laser in Live Field Test
Published:
July 2, 2025
/
Updated:
July 2, 2025
Breaking News
Editorial Team
PHOTO BY: Jim Kendall, Army
Soldiers at Fort Sill fired a Stryker-mounted laser in a real tactical drill for the first time. The short event lasted only minutes, yet it closed a twenty-year gap between early laboratory trials and practical field use. Defense officials confirm that the 4th Battalion, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment knocked out multiple small drones without a single conventional round. Our analysis shows that the Army now treats directed-energy hardware as a live combat tool rather than a science project.
The drill used the Directed Energy Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense package. Soldiers placed the vehicle in a standard perimeter guard role and waited for target cues from range control. When the drone stream arrived, the platoon engaged at distances under one kilometer and recorded clean kills within seconds. According to industry sources, data from this shoot will feed directly into a readiness review planned for mid-July.
Observers on the hill noted a marked change in crew behavior. Earlier tests leaned on engineering teams. This time the gunners worked alone, switching between electro-optic sight views and the fire-control tablet in a rhythm that matched cannon drills. The unit treated the laser as just another weapon on the roster. That simple fact turns prototype talk into operational reality.
Why move to lasers now? Cheap quadcopters swarm faster than Stinger teams can reload. Kinetic interceptors also cost thousands of dollars per shot. A fifty-kilowatt beam costs only fuel and generator hours. Defense analysts inside the Fires Center note that even a moderate drone raid could drain a missile magazine, but a laser truck can recharge and keep shooting.
Troop integration mattered as much as hardware. The battalion spent six weeks on new tactics. Crews drilled short bursts rather than continuous burns to save power and preserve optics. They practiced quick relocations after each engagement to avoid counter-battery fire. Leaders built standing rules for deconfliction with conventional M-SHORAD vehicles, making sure no missile shot passed through the laser line of fire.
The core performance figures released for training use:
Weapon power: 50 kW continuous.
Vehicle base: Stryker A1, Double-V Hull.
Radar: Ku720 multi-mission array with 360-degree sweep.
Power source: twin diesel generators charging Li-NCA batteries.
Effective targets: Group 1-3 UAS, rockets, artillery, mortars, fixed-wing aircraft below 6000 ft.
Crew: four (driver, commander, gunner, sensor operator).
The Stryker chassis proved vital. Engineers needed space for thermal management skids and an expanded battery bank. The Double-V belly gave blast protection without adding too much weight, letting the laser stay with armored columns. A Caterpillar C9 block supplies 450 horsepower, enough to move even with the extra load.
Commanders balanced laser shots against the kinetic arm of M-SHORAD. Cannons and missiles handled cruise-speed targets. The beam cleaned up slow rotaries and hovering drones. This layered mix keeps every threat band covered while reducing missile expenditure. Training reports show a sixty-percent cut in round count for the same scenario when the laser carried half the engagements.
Logistics planners point to fuel flow rather than ammo pallets. Each Stryker carries enough diesel for four hours of continuous lasing spread across a typical day. Refuel points already exist for armored brigades, so the change slides into current supply maps. Spare optics and coolant modules ride in the support Humvee – far lighter than pallets of missiles.
Weather still sets limits. Heavy rain and dense fog scatter energy. Crews work a quick-switch protocol: if the sky meter shows more than 8 dB attenuation, the gunner shifts to the Stinger pod. Rapid swaps keep the bubble intact. Developers at the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office now study adaptive beam shaping to cut losses, but that fix sits two years away.
Industry partners keep refining the package. Raytheon supplies the laser module, beam control, and sensors, while Kord runs vehicle integration and power management. Colleagues familiar with the contract expect a production decision for a second platoon in early fiscal 2026. That timeline matches the Enduring High-Energy Laser record program the Army schedules for the same year.
The live-fire also carried doctrine weight. Field manuals will add laser engagement tables this fall. New guidelines split targets by material and flight profile instead of caliber. For instance, thin-skinned drones draw a two-second continuous hit, while mortar fins need at least three seconds. Crews learn to count burn time in the sight reticle the way tankers count machine-gun bursts.
Soldiers gave mixed notes on human factors. They liked the near-silent firing cycle, which reduced stress and let radio calls stay clear. They disliked the bright aiming reticle under high sun. The vendor promised a firmware patch to raise contrast. Maintenance teams noted that optic windows fouled with dust faster than expected; a new self-clean coating arrives in the next block upgrade.
Security planners see broader roles beyond drone defense. Short-range rockets remain a classic asymmetrical threat. In earlier lab tests, the same 50 kW beam burned through the casing of a 107 mm artillery rocket within a half-second at one-kilometer range. During the Fort Sill event, range control kept rockets out for safety reasons, but classified follow-ons are on the calendar for White Sands this August.
Cost drives the final argument. A Stinger reload costs about $120 000. One generator hour costs under $50. Even with crew pay and spare parts, the per-shot laser bill stays under $100 for typical bursts. Budget branches therefore pitch lasers as the only realistic answer to mass drone raids. The live-fire marks the first time that finance, engineering, and troops lined up on the same point.
Allies watch closely. NATO planners requested a mobile briefing package for next month’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense conference in Brussels. The U.S. team will bring cockpit footage and drone wreckage samples. Poland and Germany already field kinetic M-SHORAD variants; a bolt-on laser kit could let them upgrade without new vehicles. Discussions continue, but the Fort Sill film gives the concept solid proof.
Strategists warn against overreach. Lasers excel against plastic and light metal. Heavier cruise missiles with thick casings still demand hit-to-kill interceptors. The Army thus frames DE M-SHORAD as a piece of the air-defense quilt. No single layer wins alone, but beams ease the load and stretch missile stocks. That balanced view anchors the current five-year plan.
Next steps move fast. The battalion will deploy a pair of laser Strykers on an overseas rotation this winter under U.S. Central Command. The purpose is not combat but real-world exposure to dust, heat, and joint data-links. If the gear holds up, a full company fielding could start in 2027, lining up with the new Infantry Brigade structure that pairs armor, artillery, and directed-energy cells.
Fort Sill commanders closed the event with a brief note: “We shoot what we bring.” A laser truck now sits in the motor pool like any other asset, ready to roll when the call comes. For the Army, that change matters more than any lab milestone. The beam finally belongs to the soldier.
REFERENCE SOURCES
https://www.janes.com/osint-insights/defence-news/land/upgraded-industry-funded-directed-energy-m-shorad-to-appear-in-us-army-training-exercise
https://www.army.mil/article/286677/u_s_army_tests_laser_weapons_in_oklahoma_aiming_at_a_future_of_energy_based_air_defense
https://www.rtx.com/raytheon/what-we-do/integrated-air-and-missile-defense/lasers
https://armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2025/exclusive-first-operational-use-for-u-s-army-laser-weapons-with-de-m-shorad-air-defense-vehicle
https://interestingengineering.com/military/stryker-becomes-laser-tank-drones
https://dronexl.co/2025/06/28/us-army-laser-weapons-oklahoma/
The post U.S. Army Debuts Stryker-Mounted DE M-SHORAD Laser in Live Field Test appeared first on defense-aerospace.
Soldiers at Fort Sill fired a Stryker-mounted laser in a real tactical drill for the first time. The short event lasted only minutes, yet it closed a twenty-year gap between early laboratory trials and practical field use. Defense officials confirm that the 4th Battalion, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment knocked out multiple small drones without a single conventional round. Our analysis shows that the Army now treats directed-energy hardware as a live combat tool rather than a science project.
The post U.S. Army Debuts Stryker-Mounted DE M-SHORAD Laser in Live Field Test appeared first on defense-aerospace.
