As part of its relentless pursuit to develop methods to confront the threat of Iranian drones, the US Joint Military Unit “411”, in cooperation with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), conducted a test of a high-energy laser weapon specifically designed to confront these drones.

According to The Defense Post, the US Department of Defense is working in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration to integrate advanced anti-drone systems into US airspace, with a primary focus on ensuring the safety of civil aviation.

During this test, the researchers studied the effect of high-energy laser beams on targets specially designed to simulate drone structures.

“This is a critical step to ensure our forces have the most advanced tools to defend the homeland,” said Gen. Matt Ross, the unit’s director.

He added: “We are working to ensure that these advanced capabilities are safe, effective, and ready to protect Americans from the growing drone threats.”

This test comes at a time when Washington is making intense efforts to develop an effective system to confront Iranian “Shahed” drones, the use of which has been widely used in recent conflicts in the region.

(This part was deleted because it contained incorrect information in the original article.)

These low-cost drones have caused confusion in US military calculations, which has prompted Washington to search for practical solutions to confront this growing threat.

In this context, the United States resorted to benefiting from Ukrainian expertise in the field of shooting down drones, as Ukraine is considered among the most experienced countries in confronting the “witness” drones that Russia used during the war.

Washington also announced future plans to deploy a special system to intercept “Shahed” aircraft known as “Mirops.”

A US official told the Associated Press that the military’s response to Iranian drones was “disappointing,” while another official indicated that the early deployment of Ukrainian interceptor aircraft would have contributed to improving operational performance.

The cost of the Iranian “Shahed” drone ranges between 20 and 50 thousand dollars, while the cost of the Ukrainian interceptor aircraft is considered less than that.

The United States currently relies on expensive air defense systems to intercept these drones, in addition to using other means such as AH-64 Apache helicopters.