The Conservative Cave

American warship downs drones with laser weapon

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/american-warship-downs-drones-with-laser/

According to Lockheed Martin, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Preble employed its High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance system, known as HELIOS, to engage and neutralise four drones during a Navy-run counter-UAS event. The activity took place last year and was disclosed publicly as part of the company’s latest financial update.

Lockheed Martin chief executive Jim Taiclet said the demonstration showed how lasers could provide a practical alternative to traditional missile-based defences for close-range threats. He described the system as having successfully knocked incoming uncrewed aircraft out of the sky, highlighting the potential to conserve expensive interceptor missiles for higher-end targets.

“Speaking of amazing technology, we successfully used the shipboard laser system, Lockheed Martin’s Helios, to knock an incoming UAV right out of the sky. The Helios weapon system successfully neutralised four drone threats in a US Navy-operated counter-UAS drone demonstration at sea, showcasing an opportunity to eliminate drone attacks using lasers and saving US and allied air defence missiles for more advanced threats.
...
HELIOS is a roughly 60-kilowatt class laser integrated directly into the Aegis Combat System, allowing it to be operated alongside conventional radar, sensors and weapons. ...

FWIW, USS Preble is Flight IIA. Several Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have been commissioned or are undergoing pre-commissioning trials. IOW, HELIOS systems could, potentially, be installed on at least half of current Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. If I understand correctly, the system works by blinding sensors and/or heat-killing drones' control and/or structural components.

Who is going to enforce it? Is SPD going to attempt to arrest ICE officials?

Wasting tax dollars on signs which state edicts which can not be enforced, in a place already financially under water.

How utterly democrat.

Madison Named the Officer. Now Kiel Baitinger-Peterson Has to Watch His Back.

https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2026/08/10/madison-named-the-officer-now-kiel-baitinger-peterson-has-to-watch-his-back-n4956010

Madison police officer Kiel Baitinger-Peterson survived an encounter with a man armed with a knife. Now his name is public, his family's safety is a concern, and precautions are being taken to protect them.

Welcome to the second ordeal faced by an officer who already survived the first one.

PBS Wisconsin ...:

Quote

Investigators on Aug. 10 released the name of the Madison police officer who shot and killed a 38-year-old Black man in July — a shooting that was captured on video and sparked protests that put Wisconsin’s capital city on edge over how authorities treat people of color.

Kiel Baitinger-Peterson, a white officer with nearly 11 years’ experience in law enforcement, fired the shots that killed Corey Ruiz on July 22, the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation said in a statement. Baitinger-Peterson was one of four officers who surrounded Ruiz, who was on a bike, in response to calls about someone who was checking out parked cars and an alleged burglary attempt, police said.

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The Wisconsin Department of Justice identified Baitinger-Peterson Monday as the officer who fatally shot 38-year-old Corey Ruiz on July 22. The facts released so far are remarkably clear. Police responded after reports of someone checking parked vehicles and an alleged burglary attempt.

Ruiz fled on a bicycle; four officers later encountered him near South Baldwin and Williamson streets, and a struggle followed.

Ruiz brandished a knife and injured Baitinger-Peterson. Two other officers tried Tasers, which failed.

Baitinger-Peterson fired his weapon; another officer was also injured. Investigators recovered a fixed-blade knife at the scene.
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Yet long before investigators finished their work, Madison Alder Noah Lieberman publicly called Ruiz's death "absolutely unacceptable" and wrote that he found it difficult to imagine any justification for the officers' actions.
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Wisconsin Professional Police Association Executive Director Jim Palmer says he's deeply concerned about the safety and privacy of Baitinger-Peterson, his family, and the other officers.

Palmer says officials are taking those concerns seriously and have put appropriate precautions in place.
...
A cop with nearly 11 years of law enforcement experience leaves home one morning, gets injured by a man wielding a knife, survives, and later learns his wife, children, parents, or whoever else shares his life may need protection because strangers now know exactly whom to hate.

My emphasis.

Oh no! In Seattle of all places!!