The U.S. Navy has decided to massively boost the power of its ship borne laser by five times and plans to see the first demonstration of this new weapon by 2018.

The Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR) will perform a shipboard test of a 150 kilowatt solid-state laser weapons system, said Admiral Bill Moran, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, at a recent meeting in Washington, D.C.

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ONR coordinates, executes and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

The upshift to a 150 kW solid state laser marks a huge leap from today's testing regime begun in 2014 where the Navy began firing a 30 kW prototype Laser Weapon System, or LaWS, aboard the USS Ponce at sea trials. LaWS, which has been used operationally in the Persian Gulf, gives the U.S. Navy precision accuracy at a low cost.

Once accepted into service between 2017 and 2021, the 30kW LaWS will enable the Navy to effectively neutralize aerial drones, swarm boats and other threats by destroying or crippling them with an intense beam of laser heat that melts internal circuitry and machinery.

In operation, the 30 kW LaWS can be aimed accurately at targets by a U.S. Navy warship's Phalanx close-in-weapons-system (CIWS) radar. LaWS has an effective range of 1.6 kilometers.

LaWS uses a solid-state infrared laser beam that can be tuned to high output to destroy a target or to a low output to warn or cripple the sensors on a target. Its power output is estimated between 15kW to 50kW for engaging small aircraft and high-speed boats.

The LaWS being tested aboard the USS Ponce isn't designed to engage incoming missiles, large aircraft, surface warships or submarines, however. This capability will be left to the 150 kW LaWS whose development the Navy has just decided to speed-up.

LaWS is finding favor within the US armed forces because its laser light "ammunition" is cheaper than conventional explosive rounds. It laser light beams can be fired for as little as one dollar per shot, while conventional rounds and missiles cost thousands of dollars each.

The U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force all plan to deploy laser weapons by the next decade. The Army intends to have lasers deployed by 2023, with tests of lasers mounted on attack helicopters taking place this summer.

The Air Force will test its first airborne combat lasers on AC-130 gunships and modified C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft by 2021. This will be a prelude to deploying smaller but powerful lasers on jet fighter aircraft such as the F-35 and F-15 and on aerial drones.

The Marine Corps, along with the Navy, is also developing truck-mounted lasers to protect Marines.

TagsU.S. Navy, 150 kilowatt solid-state laser, Laser Weapon System, USS Ponce