The French Navy has tested the HELMA-P (Multi-Application High Energy Laser – Power) laser on the Horizon class air defense frigate. About this reported French Navy. The General Directorate of Armaments (DGA), the French Navy and the CILAS company conducted combat tests of the HELMA-P laser weapon system against unmanned aerial vehicles aboard the air defense frigate Forbin. The tests were conducted from 12 to 14 June.

The tests are part of the DGA-led Anti-Drone (LAD) program aimed at creating a prototype laser weapon based on the HELMA-P demonstrator. The HELMA-P system has previously successfully completed shore trials in 2020 and 2021 and has proven its effectiveness and accuracy in hitting BpA.

“These tests open the door for further development of the prototype for its long-term integration into Navy ships.‘, said the French Navy.

HELMA-P

At the 2023 Paris Air Show, CILAS showed off a new version of the HELMA-P, which will be available from 2025. Visually, it differs significantly from the demo example. A future installation will have an additional night vision camera. The HELMA-P system was developed in collaboration between CILAS and the Ariane Group. Development lasted from 2017 to 2019.

The system consists of a 2-axis turret with an array of optical sensors and the 2 kilowatt laser gun itself. The tower is controlled by a single operator using a human-machine interface. According to the director of the innovation department of CILAS, it is able to hit targets at a distance of up to 1 kilometer, which is 3-4 times more than its competitors.

DGA began testing in 2020. As the results are better than expected, according to the head of the engineering project, the military hopes to commission this experimental system by 2024 at the time of the Olympic Games in Paris.