‘Weaponized light’: KBR’s new base defense technology pits lasers against drones

An Xbox controller may be a key part of an unlikely answer to the U.S. military’s struggle with counter-drone defense. As cheap drones proliferate, shooting them down can mean firing multimillion-dollar missiles to destroy aircraft worth just a fraction of that price.

The gaming accessory is part of KBR’s Firefly, a mobile high-energy laser weapon system developed by Kord Technologies. Recently, the Pentagon selected the company for a pilot program to test defending U.S. military installations against adversarial drones. The system uses a concentrated beam of light instead of costly missile interceptors, potentially offering a less expensive way to bring down drones.

David Zoller Jr., senior director for KBR, said the controller “reduces the amount of time that it takes to train somebody because they already know what that feels like — what all the buttonology is.”

The pilot program will place directed-energy weapons at military bases across the country for a yearlong assessment, where service members will operate, maintain and collect data on the weapons. The Pentagon will, in turn, gather information on cost and logistics.

KBR subsidiary Kord has marketed Firefly as a palletized mobile laser. The company said the system — part of which looks like a futuristic, modular cell phone camera lens — can operate in temperatures ranging from negative 15 to 35 degrees Celsius. During an August demonstration in Alabama, company officials said that a truck-mounted system needs just a few seconds to down a small drone.

Here is how it works:

Identify the threat

When the radar system detects a potential threat, it sends a cue to the human operator to investigate further. The software also has target list capabilities, so it can help a human identify things that might be threats. The human can use built-in cameras to zoom in on the anomaly — whether that be a bird, plane or drone. The AI capability tracks automatically, but the human behind the joystick makes decisions. The system, Zoller said, “still has a person that decides not just when to fire, but also where to fire.”

Engage

Once the operator makes the requisite decisions, the system steps in, tracking the threat and aiming the laser at any specific part of the threat. The laser directs “weaponized light” to counter threats by burning a hole through, Zoller said, and can be as specific as aiming at a particular propeller, engine or fuel tank.

But Zoller cautions high-energy laser systems are “not a silver bullet.” The Firefly can only engage one threat at a time, so in a drone swarm, the highest threat would need to be prioritized. “As a swarm would come in, I would have multiple systems engaging on the most imminent threat,” he explained.