The US Army tested laser air defense on Stryker infantry fighting vehicles

Stryker A1 8x8 with DE M-SHORAD laser

The US Army has conducted new exercises involving the DE M-SHORAD laser anti-aircraft system mounted on a Stryker armored vehicle. This is part of a larger program to create a mobile air defense system that combines both conventional machine guns and missiles, as well as modern directed energy weapons.

What is DE M-SHORAD?

This is a 50 kilowatt laser mounted on a Stryker A1 8x8 armored vehicle. It was created as part of the FY26 Enduring High-Energy Laser (E-HEL) program, which began back in 2019. The goal is to give troops a new tool to deal with drones, mortar shells, missiles, and even small helicopters or airplanes.

The laser does not work like a "death ray" from fiction, but as a point thermal weapon — it heats the target until it fails or explodes. For this purpose, a sophisticated guidance system is used, combining a Ku-band radar, electro-optical sensors and an infrared camera.

During the exercises, the laser was used together with the classic weapons of the M-SHORAD maneuverable system, including Stinger missiles and a 30 mm cannon. Both systems worked simultaneously, which allowed us to test how they complement each other when repelling drone attacks weighing up to **600 kg** (groups 1-3).

Interestingly, the laser is powered by a hybrid electrical system: the machine is equipped with lithium-nickel-cobalt-aluminate batteries, which are charged by diesel generators. This makes the system quite autonomous even in the field.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Juhas, such exercises are important for shaping future combat tactics. Lasers will not completely replace traditional weapons, but they will become its reliable complement. After all, the more ways to intercept a danger, the higher the chances of stopping it.

In addition, the laser allows you to save ammunition, quickly recharge between targets and reduces the risk of collateral damage — that is, secondary damage from hits in the wrong place.

Tests have shown that laser air defense can already be an effective means of combating modern threats. Now the task of engineers and the military is to bring the technology to mass production and teach it how to use it on the battlefield.  

If everything goes according to plan, lasers will become a standard part of the US Army's defense systems in a few years.