US Air Force brings laser weapons to Europe to fight drones

The U.S. Air Force in Europe has quietly deployed new counterdrone systems to undisclosed locations across the Continent as part of an expanded effort to protect bases from the rapidly growing threat posed by unmanned aircraft.

The deployment includes the Compact Laser Weapon System, a directed-energy capability that has been fielded at locations the Air Force declined to identify for operational security reasons.

The move is part of a broader push by U.S. Air Forces in Europe–Air Forces Africa to build a layered air defense network that combines electronic warfare, laser weapons and kinetic interceptors to defend installations against increasingly sophisticated drone threats.

“We have equipped and trained our personnel with enhanced systems, and installation commanders have the authority and responsibility to defend our forces,” Lt. Gen. Jason Hinds, the Air Force’s top commander in Europe, said in a statement.

The effort comes as the Pentagon scrambles to adapt to a battlefield transformed by inexpensive drones. The Russia-Ukraine war has demonstrated how commercially available and military-grade unmanned aircraft can threaten airfields, logistics hubs and troop concentrations far behind the front lines.

U.S. and NATO facilities have already been subject to drone surveillance in recent years. A Russian drone campaign over Europe has involved intelligence-gathering operations at bases housing U.S. nuclear weapons and other sensitive sites.

Hundreds of the Kremlin’s drones maneuvered in the airspace of numerous NATO member states between August 2024 and February 2026, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a recent report.

The drone activity was designed to map allied vulnerabilities and probe for weaknesses in military-civilian decisionmaking in response to drone incursions, the report said. Russia has denied involvement in the incidents.

USAFE-AF’s laser system is integrated into a more extensive air defense architecture rather than operating as a standalone capability, according to the statement.

Operators use it to identify suspicious aircraft before employing countermeasures, helping distinguish hostile drones from friendly aircraft or even birds, the command said.

“The modern threat has erased the idea of a safe haven,” said Col. Victoria Habas, the command’s director for integrated air and missile defense planning and programs. “Inexpensive and highly adaptable (drone) technology can hold any installation or operating location at risk.”

The Air Force also has tested another counterdrone capability, the Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System, which uses a laser-guided 2.75-inch rocket to intercept unmanned aircraft at ranges of up to about 4 miles.

“There is no single silver bullet,” said Jason Parker, a technology chief at USAFE-AF.

“The capabilities of drones vary significantly in size, speed, altitude and how they are controlled,” he said. “Some can be disrupted through electronic means, while others are more resistant, requiring different approaches.”