A key weapon in America’s ‘Golden Dome’ defense shield is taking shape

The Army-Navy effort aims to produce a containerized 150 kilowatt high-energy laser weapon to counter incoming cruise missiles.

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This article is republished with permission from Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology.

The cruise missile-killing high-energy laser weapon the U.S. Defense Department envisions as part of its ‘Golden Dome for America’ domestic missile defense shield is beginning to take shape.

The new Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS)—a collaboration between the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy whose existence was first reported in June 2025—will initially consist of a containerized 150 kilowatt system with potential to scale to at least 300 kw to defeat incoming cruise missile threats, according to the Navy’s fiscal year 2027 budget........

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