The undated image shows the U.S. Navy testing a weapon system known as HELIOS from the USS Preble destroyer in the middle of the ocean.

In the vast expanse of the ocean, a streak of white light pierces the sky. It’s not a natural phenomenon, but a weapon — a high-energy laser fired from the deck of a U.S. Navy destroyer. This is HELIOS,

The U.S. Navy’s High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system faced its first airborne target during a test in 2024, a first-time for the HELIOS program that will help the U.S. Navy inform other programs under the Directed Energy and Electric Weapon System effort.