Laser Wars | Jared Keller | Substack

EXCLUSIVE: US Military Awards Joint Laser Weapon System Contracts

The Pentagon has tapped Lockheed Martin and nLight to build cruise missile-killing high-energy laser weapons for the “Golden Dome for America” domestic missile defense shield.

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EXCLUSIVE: Pentagon Demonstrates Laser Weapons for Hegseth

The US military fired several high-energy laser and high-power microwave weapons for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday.

Jun 23 • Jared Keller

Laser Weapon Spotted Near US-Mexico Border

A US Army vehicle sporting a laser turret was photographed training with soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border.

Aug 27, 2025 • Jared Keller

The Laser Weapon Quietly Watching Over the US Strikes on Iran

The US Navy's Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN) laser weapon is bearing witness to Operation Epic Fury.

Mar 5 • Jared Keller

This Is What Laser Warfare Looks Like

Russia's response to a Ukrainian drone attack offers a glimpse at the current state of the Laser Wars.

Jun 1 • Jared Keller

Pulse: A Weekly Directed Energy Digest

Pulse #005: Here Comes Israel's Space Laser

"No country has the ability to mount attacks in space. We must be the leading country in the world with this capability.”

Jul 2 • Jared Keller

Pulse #004: Notes on Pete Hegseth's Laser Show

A few extra details from this week's Laser Wars exclusive on the Pentagon's historic directed energy demonstration.

Jun 26 • Jared Keller

Pulse #003: The Return of the CLaWS

Welcome to Pulse, a weekly digest of updates from around the directed energy ecosystem.

Jun 19 • Jared Keller

Laser Wars

Laser Wars

A newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology.

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Exclusives

The Navy Brought a ‘One-of-a-Kind’ Laser Weapon Back From the Dead

The US Navy's lone 150 kilowatt laser weapon is back in action – sort of.

Mar 30 • Jared Keller

What We Know About the US Military’s New Joint Laser Weapon System

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

Apr 27 • Jared Keller

Here's Your First Look at the Army's Laser-Armed Infantry Squad Vehicle

The Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) breaks cover.

Apr 28, 2025 • Jared Keller

The Air Force Is Taking Another Run at Airborne Laser Weapons

The service is planning a new airborne laser weapon initiative for fiscal year 2027.

Dec 12, 2025 • Jared Keller

History

Watch Rare Footage of a US Military Laser Weapon Shooting Down a Drone in 1973

It was the first time in military history a laser weapon had disabled an aerial target.

Jan 31, 2025 • Jared Keller

The Cold War Legend of Romania’s Tank-Melting Laser Weapon

In the shadow of the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, a powerful story took root.

Sep 29, 2025 • Jared Keller

Marines in Iraq Once Requested an Airborne Laser Weapon to Torch Insurgents and Terrify Onlookers

Pentagon whistleblower Franz Gayl reflects on his vivid 2006 request for an flying laser capable of “instantaneous burst-combustion of insurgent…

Dec 17, 2025 • Jared Keller

That Time the Soviet Union Allegedly Used Lasers to Blind Mujahideen Fighters in Afghanistan

US intelligence agencies suspected Moscow was already sending directed energy weapons into battle.

Jan 5 • Jared Keller

The Secret Laser Weapon the UK Deployed During the Falklands War

The Royal Navy sent a laser weapon to the South Atlantic during the 1982 conflict between the UK and Argentina.

Jul 17, 2025 • Jared Keller

Defense Tech

Why Japan’s Electromagnetic Railgun Succeeded Where the US Navy’s Failed

Developing next-generation weapons is as much about political optics as it is technical prowess.

Apr 25, 2025 • Jared Keller

The IVAS Delusion

The US military has tried and failed to build a tactical helmet-mounted display for nearly 35 years. Can Anduril actually make it a reality?

Oct 16, 2025 • Jared Keller

The Second Life of the Pentagon’s Magic Bullet

The US military's Hypervelocity Projectile is steadily inching towards combat.

Aug 4, 2025 • Jared Keller

Forget Jet Packs: Marines Will Soon Fly Powered Paragliders Into Battle

The Marine Corps is taking a novel approach to the US military's decades-long pursuit of individual lift.

Jan 23 • Jared Keller

Laser Wars

A newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology.

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