HUNTSVILLE, Ala. − The U.S. Army is counting on funding in fiscal 2026 to hold a competition to pursue a high-energy laser weapon system focused first on countering drones, according to service officials.

Over the course of the last five-plus years, the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, or RCCTO, has built a wide variety of directed energy prototypes , from 10-kilowatt palletized systems for fixed sites to 20- to 30-kilowatt lasers mounted on small tactical vehicles, to 50-kilowatt systems on the Army’s Maneuver-Short-Range Air Defense Stryker-based vehicles .

The office also continues to develop a 300-kilowatt laser, as well as high-power microwave capabilities, to counter a variety of threats like drones, artillery and cruise missiles.

Out of the 17 pro

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