Amidst the plethora of uncrewed vehicles used globally, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and AIM Defence have developed the Army’s first in-use directed energy weapon for Counter-small uncrewed aerial systems (C-sUAS) exploration – a laser system.
Drones are a key marker of a rapidly evolving world, increasingly utilised across industries, supply chains, and recreational activities.
As reported for the World Economic Forum, drones have revolutionised access to essential medicine for remote and rural communities, making critical supplies available
For example, Zipline, a US medical drone company, has been deploying drones to transport medical supplies to individuals in rural areas of Rwanda and Ghana.
Zipline’s lightweight drones can deliver packages from distribution centres to clinics located up to 85 kilometres away, reducing travel times and ensuring that perishable items, like blood, remain viable by reaching their destinations swiftly.
It adapted its system to aid in the fight against COVID-19, enabling Ghana to distribute 13 per cent of its initial vaccine supply within just three days.
Beyond healthcare, drones are also playing a growing role in environmental conservation efforts.
Conservationists are using drones to monitor endangered wildlife, assess deforestation, and map difficult-to-reach ecosystems.
For example, drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras help protect endangered species from poachers, while others are used to rapidly replant trees in deforested areas.
The agricultural sector is also harnessing drones to monitor crop health, optimise irrigation, and reduce the need for harmful pesticides by delivering targeted treatments.
This is leading to more efficient farming practices and supporting efforts towards global food security.
As drones become more sophisticated, their positive contributions to society continue to expand.
From disaster response teams using drones to survey areas impacted by natural disasters, to energy companies inspecting critical infrastructure like power lines and pipelines, the applications are as diverse as they are impactful.
Their ability to access hard-to-reach areas and perform tasks quickly and efficiently has redefined how industries and humanitarian organisations operate.
Additionally, drones are becoming more prevalently used for humanitarian applications. The World Food Programme has deployed drones to assess areas affected by natural disasters, such as the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.
The drones provided detailed aerial surveys that helped relief workers identify the most devastated areas, improving the speed and precision of aid delivery.
In addition to disaster response, drones play a critical role in environmental conservation.
Drones in defence
Drones are not only versatile and valuable tools used across various fields, but they are also affordable and accessible globally, such as within the defence sector.
While drones have revolutionised industries and logistics, their affordability and accessibility also make them vulnerable to misuse.
In defence, the same qualities that make drones valuable can turn them into potent challenges. They are becoming commonplace in defence across the globe, used for surveillance, target acquisition, and battle damage assessment.
Drones can provide distinct tactical benefits and improve operational efficiency across a range of combat situations.
Vision of Humanity – an initiative that focuses on measuring and promoting global peace – reported that between 2018 and 2023, the use of drones by states increased by 150 per cent, from 16 to 40.
In contrast, non-state groups utilising drones surged by over 1,400 per cent, from six to 91.
To counter the rising threat posed by low-cost drones, countries like the United States are increasingly deploying Directed Energy Weapons (DEWS), with lasers proving to be a particularly effective solution.
Low-end asymmetric drones, which are relatively inexpensive and simple uncrewed aerial vehicles, are often employed in unconventional tactics to exploit vulnerabilities or achieve strategic objectives.
However, cost-effective manufacturing processes involved with low-end asymmetric drones also makes them highly susceptible to high-powered lasers.
DEWS have advanced considerably since their initial conceptualisation during the late 20th century.
Early research primarily concentrated on high-energy lasers (HELs) and microwave weapons designed to intercept and neutralise targets.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the U.S. military invested heavily in laser research, leading to the development of the Airborne Laser (ABL) program.
Despite facing numerous technical challenges and eventually being discontinued, the ABL laid important groundwork for future DEW advancements.
The increasing sophistication of drones has driven the advancement of DEWS.
Recently, the ADF has made its own advancements in this front, by testing its own DEW, the FRACTL Portable High Energy Laser.
Robotic and Autonomous Systems Implementation and Coordination Office’s (RICO) Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Eli Lea said that the FRACTL laser could be one of many emerging technologies designed to address these challenges.
“Shooting small multi-rotor UAS out of the sky is particularly challenging. A DEW that can detect, track and engage those types of targets is a part of that tool set.”
One of the biggest challenges for Defence is to ensure that these emerging countermeasures are cost-effective.
Lea stated that it is essential to have defensive systems capable of effectively countering uncrewed systems without incurring high costs.
“Drones offer mass, which means overwhelming systems through large numbers,” he said.
“The ability to rapidly and cost-effectively engage a swarm or group of drones is highly desirable.
Manufacturing directed energy weapons
AIM Defence, based in Melbourne, is responsible for manufacturing the DEWS currently being explored by the ADF.
The company specialises in advanced directed energy systems and artificial intelligence solutions tailored for defence applications.
Earlier this year, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, officially inaugurated AIM Defence’s cutting-edge advanced manufacturing and export facility.
AIM Defence has expanded into a new 4,000sqm facility to support the production and export of its FRACTL Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems laser.
This facility will accommodate a team of researchers, scientists, and engineers from various disciplines and will help increase domestic production of the FRACTL units.
“Our investment into these state-of-the-art facilities demonstrates AIM’s drive and commitment to high value manufacturing in Australia. We’re proud to be building cutting edge systems for Australian Defence and our allies right here in Melbourne,” said co-CEO of AIM Defence, Dr Jae Daniel.
What makes lasers perfect against drones?
Lasers offer an effective countermeasure to drones because of their precision, speed, and ability to neutralise threats instantly without the need for physical ammunition.
High-powered anti-drone lasers work by emitting a concentrated beam of light at a specific wavelength that is absorbed by the drone’s components.
The laser’s intense energy heats the targeted parts, such as the drone’s propulsion system or electronic components, to the point of failure.
By precisely targeting and focusing the laser on critical areas, these systems can disable or destroy drones with high accuracy.
The Australian Army’s Director-General of Future Land Warfare, Brigadier James Davis explained that the growing use of electrical and optical systems, which can aggregate imagery from multiple sensors, makes it crucial to have the capability to disrupt or neutralise these systems.
DEWS can offer distinct benefits for this purpose.
Provided that there is a power source, DEWS can operate with virtually unlimited capacity and at almost any range.
“As long as there is power, DEWS offer virtually unlimited magazine capacity.
“Additionally, they can produce a range of effects depending on the engagement distance and power settings – ranging from dazzling or blinding effects to destructive capabilities, making them versatile for various applications.”
Aim Defence has stated it can burn through steel and can track objects as small as a 10-cent piece travelling 100kph a kilometre away.
The FRACTL laser, unlike traditional ballistic weapons, can also strike any target instantaneously, as the laser beam travels at the speed of light.
This is advantageous when targeted drones that travel at high speeds, but there are other time-sensitive scenarios where this would prove useful.
“Directed energy weapons operate at the speed of light, which is incredibly advantageous,” said Brigadier Davis.
Testing the laser
The FRACTL laser was recently tested at the Puckapunyal range in June 2024.
During the test, several operators had the opportunity to trial the technology.
Brigadier Davis highlighted the FRACTL laser’s user-friendly design, stating that its intuitive controls make it accessible for nearly all soldiers, simplifying training and operational integration.
“To make it even more user-friendly, the controls are designed to be familiar to most young people, and essentially anyone joining the army, as they replicate commercial setups,” said Davis.
“This should result in a lower training burden and better integration with our existing systems.”
Corporal Patrick Flanagan, who operated the laser during the Puckapunyal test, recounted his experience successfully shooting down a drone.
“You push a button to track the drone, and the computer takes over, then you push another button to ‘pull the trigger’ just like a video game,” Flanagan said.
“With your index finger you can quickly change your aim between the drone’s video camera, centre mass or one of the propellers.
“It only takes seconds to knock out the camera and two or three seconds to disable the rotor.”
Aim Defence will leverage the insights gained from recent tests to refine and enhance their design.
Co-founder Jessica Glenn said the Puckapunyal demonstration was an exceptional result for the company.
“It paints a pathway toward getting this novel wavelength to match similar ranges as our one-micron system, which is achieving 1.5km counter sensor and approximately 1km hard kill engagements,” Glenn said.
Brigadier Davis explained that the Puckapunyal test will advance operator capabilities and future defence scenarios.
“The Puckapunyal test was a significant step in bringing operators closer to the capability of aiding in defence development,” said Davis.
“We plan to continue enhancing the operational realism of the scenarios in which these capabilities are employed.”
Brigadier Davis explained that while operators were involved, the field scenario was relatively straightforward, and that the ADF is planning to make future tests more complex and incorporate additional systems.
“Although operators were present, the field scenario wasn’t particularly complex, and we aim to increase that complexity while also integrating additional systems,” he said.
“We understand that kinetic systems, including directed energy, perform best when cued by something like radar.
“Therefore, we plan to incorporate more of these systems and link them to our C4 systems, allowing operators to better distinguish between threat and friendly uncrewed systems.”
What laser tech means for industry and future applications
They acknowledge that various companies are already working on these technologies, each with different strengths and weaknesses.
The increasing demand for anti-drone technology is set to create opportunities for defence manufacturers, particularly in the realm of high-powered lasers.
“I am aware that several companies are already engaged in building directed energy systems, each with its own strengths and weaknesses,” said Davis.
“Each will likely serve different use cases and purposes. The field will continue to evolve as directed energy technology advances more broadly.”
Brigadier Davis envisions a future where high-powered lasers become a standard feature in defence applications, with their integration extending across all platforms.
In a Defence context, a “platform” refers to any type of vehicle or system designed to carry and deploy various technologies or equipment.
This includes air vehicles such as helicopters and uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), as well as ground vehicles like tanks, trucks, and specialised equipment such as Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles.
“As these technologies continue to shrink in size and reduce in power consumption, I expect we’ll see them integrated across a wide range of platforms,” said Davis.
“In the future, I wouldn’t be surprised if they even make their way onto airborne platforms.
“Just as we’ve mounted machine guns on nearly everything, we’ll likely do the same with lasers.”
As Brigadier Davis explains, the natural evolution of defence suggests that Australia might soon see lasers mounted on its own naval vessels.
“This cycle of advancement and countermeasures is a constant,” he said.
“Just as we have historically sourced a variety of machine guns from different suppliers, I anticipate that we will similarly acquire a range of laser systems from various providers.”
Ultimately, as drone technology continues to evolve and become more widespread, directed energy weapons like the FRACTL laser are emerging as a forward-thinking solution to maintain a competitive edge in defence.
With drones playing an increasing role in industries worldwide, innovations like the FRACTL laser demonstrate how technology is rapidly advancing, blending futuristic concepts with practical, real-world applications in today’s defence strategies.