Julian Ryall of the South China Morning Post reports that USS Preble is the only American destroyer with the advanced Helios laser weapon that can intercept aerial threats such as drones and missiles. Ryall writes:
A US warship equipped with the advanced Helios laser weapon is being forward-deployed to Japan’s Yokosuka naval base, south of Tokyo, as a “show of force” to potential rivals in the increasingly tense Indo-Pacific region, analysts say.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble departed the US Navy base in San Diego on Sunday and is scheduled to carry out tests of its Helios system – a high-energy laser with integrated optical-dazzler and surveillance – during its crossing of the Pacific, according to the navy in a statement. […]
The USS Preble is only one of 73 destroyers in its class to have been retrofitted with Helios, a weapon developed by Lockheed Martin and designed to intercept aerial threats, such as drones, missiles and even small boats. Commissioned in 2002, USS Preble was fitted with the laser weapon in 2021.
“It is obvious that the US is placing strong priority on the Indo-Pacific region and making sure that it has the best assets in the right areas for the contingencies it might face,” said Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, associate professor in Tokyo International University’s Institute for International Strategy.
“Put simply, the US wants its best weapons systems right on the front line.” […]
The US Navy has 12 warships forward-deployed to Yokosuka, the largest US naval installation outside the US and the home port of the 7th Fleet. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington is scheduled to be based at Yokosuka from mid-November.
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