美国军方历经五十多年的雷射武器研发后，陆军即将与AeroVironment公司签署一份价值数亿美元的合约，采购名为「持久高能雷射」（E-HEL）的武器系统。这将是美军首次正式将雷射武器大规模列装部队，用于保护全球各地基地免受无人机攻击。该系统将成为五角大楼五年预算中的正式「记录计划」，标志著雷射武器从实验阶段迈向实战部署的历史性转折。（关键数字：20）
廉价攻击无人机在伊朗和乌克兰战争中的大量使用，凸显了传统防御手段的不足。美军曾以四百万美元的爱国者飞弹拦截仅值三万五千美元的伊朗无人机，既浪费资金又消耗拦截弹药库存。雷射武器的优势在于「弹药」无限——只要有电力供应就能持续射击，且单次发射成本极低。然而，部署过程中也出现过意外事故，包括误击派对气球和边境巡逻无人机等事件。（关键数字：4, 35,000）
在技术层面，光纤雷射成为军用雷射的主流方案，利用掺入稀土离子的玻璃光纤束，实现更高效的能量吸收与散热，并产生精确聚焦的光束。半导体二极体泵浦、机器视觉锁定目标以及自适应光学系统的进步，使雷射武器日趋成熟。但雷射仍有局限：雨雾会阻断光束，每次只能瞄准单一目标且需数秒照射，面对大规模无人机蜂群攻击无法独力应对，且高能光束可能对飞机甚至卫星构成附带风险。
After over fifty years of failed attempts at developing laser weapons, the U.S. Army is on the verge of signing a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars with AeroVironment for the Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) system. This will mark the first time the American military formally commits to deploying laser weapons at scale, making E-HEL an official "program of record" inscribed in the Pentagon's five-year budget. Up to 20 units are planned, compact enough to fit in a small container or atop an all-terrain vehicle, and designed to protect military bases worldwide from drone threats.
The proliferation of cheap, mass-produced attack drones in conflicts involving Iran and Ukraine has exposed the inadequacy of conventional defenses. The U.S. resorted to firing $4 million Patriot missiles at $35,000 Iranian drones, draining both funds and interceptor stockpiles. Laser weapons offer a compelling alternative: virtually unlimited ammunition as long as electrical power is available, at a fraction of the cost per shot. Despite some embarrassing incidents during testing—including accidentally destroying a party balloon near El Paso and shooting down a friendly Border Patrol drone—the technology has demonstrated its ability to neutralize real aerial targets.
The key technological breakthrough enabling these weapons is fiber laser technology, which uses bundles of rare-earth-ion-infused glass fibers to generate efficient, well-focused beams. Advances in semiconductor diode pumping, machine vision for target tracking, and adaptive optics for atmospheric compensation have collectively brought laser weapons from the laboratory to the battlefield. Nevertheless, significant limitations persist: lasers are ineffective in rain and fog, can only engage one target at a time for several seconds each, and powerful beams pose risks to aircraft and even satellites. Experts emphasize that lasers should complement rather than replace traditional munitions, serving as a cost-effective layer in a broader, integrated defense system against low-cost drone swarms.