# Project 3402 — Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS)

**Program element:** 0603925N — Directed Energy and Electric Weapon System  
**Project:** 3402  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603925N/3402  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603925N

## Summary

Project 3402 — Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS) requests $79.8M in FY2027, 84% of the $94.8M requested for program element 0603925N — a restart: funded in FY2025, zeroed in FY2026, funded again now. 3 R-2A activities decompose the request, 1 new and 1 restarted this cycle. Other Transaction Authority (OTA) #2 is the largest named R-3 performer at $34.0M, 43% of the project's FY2027 R-3 total.

**Markets:** Directed Energy — matched on the project title only, and no market size is quoted.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 5.7 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 0.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 79.8 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 84.6 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 75.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 37.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 33.5 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0603925N; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 3402 buys

Project 3402 - Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS): Program supports the National Defense Strategy (NDS) of building a more lethal force by leveraging maturing technology to deliver proven laser weapon capability to the Fleet. The Mk 5 Mod 0 High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system, as installed in the forward deployed combatant, provides a low cost-per-shot capability to address Anti-Surface Warfare and Counter-Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C-ISR) gaps with the ability to dazzle and destroy Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and defeat Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIAC) while integrated into the AEGIS Combat System on a Flt IIA Destroyer. SNLWS/HELIOS, as a Non-Program of Record (POR) Research & Development (R&D) asset, provided an industry-developed and government integrated capability to the Fleet in as short a timeframe as possible, thereby addressing the NDS direction to foster a culture of innovation. HELIOS included the development of a laser weapon system in the 60 kW class. The FY 2027 budget request supports the Research & Development (R&D) asset of HELIOS on DDG 88 by providing In Service Engineering Agent (ISEA) and Software Support Activity (SSA) technical product support, component repair and/or replacement, grooming, and testing after the availability and during the operational period; and to begin development of a containerized 150kW Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS) for cruise missile defense by incrementally providing at least 300kW of power building on existing laser scaling efforts; development of the Joint Beam Control System (JBCS) technology capable of supporting a 300-500kW laser weapon system; and conduct upgrades to the High Energy Laser Counter Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Project (HELCAP) testbed as appropriate to support JLWS testing. In coordination with the military services and the Missile Defense Agency, begin development of a consolidated implementation plan for all Golden Dome Directed Energy projects, leveraging synergy and common weapon architectures between these efforts where possible.

**R-3 lines of work:** Product Development; Support; Test and Evaluation; Management Services.

## Named R-3 performers

| Performer | $M | Share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total |
|---|---|---|
| Other Transaction Authority (OTA) #2 | 34.0 | 43% |
| PSU EOC | 5.7 | 7.1% |
| SPA | 0.7 | 0.9% |
| PSS | 0.7 | 0.8% |

> Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations. Shares need not reach 100% — unnamed and government work is in the denominator.

## Activities (R-2A) — 3

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 75.6 | new | [a2](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603925N/3402/a2) |
| SNLWS Government and Support Engineering Services | 3.9 | 0.0 | 4.2 | restart | — |
| SNLWS Prime Contractor Efforts | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | — |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS) — NEW START

JLWS N-150-X (Containerized) - Initiate Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) and incremental procurement of 150 kW class Containerized Laser Weapon System (LWS) - Provide programmatic and technical oversight of contract - Initiate systems engineering, ship and combat system integration requirements development - Initiate development of Ship…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603925N/3402/a2

### SNLWS Government and Support Engineering Services — RESTART

**FY2027 planned work.** - Provide sustainment support so that the system installed on the DDG 88 remains operational. - Provide shipboard technical support by monitoring system throughout operation as the In-Service Engineering Agent (ISEA). - Provide Software Support Activity (SSA) software and cybersecurity support. - Provide minimal testing and engineering support, utilizing ship test events and windows of opportunity to inform tactical employment. - Provide training updates, maintenance requirements updates and shipboard allowance documentation. - Provide minimal programmatic and engineering support to Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) and Working Groups (WGs).

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The FY 2026 to FY 2027 increase is the partial reinstatement of sustainment funding for the Mk 5 Mod 0 HELIOS system installed on the USS PREBLE, DDG 88.

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603925N.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0603925N project 3402 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603925N")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*