The U.S. Navy on Tuesday fired a high-energy laser weapon in the Gulf of Aden, military officials said, marking the latest test of a cutting-edge system that could potentially be used to counter deadly drone boats used by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The Navy’s Fifth Fleet said that the U.S. transport dock ship USS Portland tested the laser weapon against a “static surface training target” at sea. It’s the second known test of the system. In May 2020, the laser disabled a small drone flying over the Pacific Ocean, officials said.
The timing and location of the test appear intentional. The Gulf of Aden lies off the coast of Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels for years have been battling the Yemeni government and a Saudi-led coalition in what’s become a protracted civil war and has led to one of the greatest humanitarian crises on the planet.
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More than 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to international estimates.
The Houthi rebels have routinely deployed so-called “drone boats” into the Gulf of Aden, using the remotely piloted vessels to target their enemy. The Iranian government is widely believed to be helping to build those boats.