Report: Babcock to Include Raytheon Tech in Laser Directed-Energy Weapon Offering for U.K.

Babcock‘s proposed system for the British defense science and technology laboratory’s Laser Directed Energy Weapon Capability Demonstrator program will incorporate the Raytheon-built Phalanx air defense technology, Flightglobal reported Thursday.

Beth Stevenson writes the LDEW-CD competition seeks a 20-millimeter laser-equipped Gatling machine gun designed to counter potential airborne threats, including unmanned aircraft systems, to naval ships.

The report said the Babcock offering will integrate the Phalanx, a laser technology from QinetiQ and optronics from Leonardo-Finmeccanica.

Raytheon looks to adapt the Phalanx to include a counter-UAS system, according to Stevenson.

Stevenson noted Lockheed Martin, MBDA, Rheinmetall and Thales are also vying for the LDEW-CD program.