Cape Canaveral Space Force Base to deploy laser anti-drone system

The U.S. Cape Canaveral Space Force Base, a major launch site for U.S. space aircraft, is about to deploy a laser anti-drone system. (AP file photo)

[Reporter Tu Jumin/Comprehensive Report] The US military continues to expand its laser weapons to counter drones, and now even important space launch bases will be included in the deployment. Foreign military news website "The War Zone" reported that the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the United States will deploy a directed energy anti-drone system to shoot down drones that break into restricted airspace through lasers to protect personnel, launch facilities and national security payloads.

The 45th Space Launch Wing of the U.S. Space Force stated that Cape Canavere continues to support a large number of national security and commercial space missions. As the frequency of launches increases, preventing threats from low-altitude drones has become an important issue. The base is currently promoting the modernization of security protection and integrating detection, tracking and defense capabilities, including directed energy systems, but the military has not yet announced the specific model and official deployment time.

Cape Canaveral is an important space launch hub in the United States, where companies including SpaceX, United Launch Alliance (ULA), and Blue Origin all perform launch missions. The base covers an area of ​​about 65 square kilometers and is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. The open terrain also increases the possibility of drones intruding from different directions. Neighboring Port Canaveral recorded 500 unauthorized drone flights in 2025.

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In addition, in July this year, a Chinese tourist flew a drone into the restricted airspace of the Kennedy Space Center and once flew about 2.5 kilometers away from the 39B launch pad. The report pointed out that some of the rockets and space systems in the base are expensive to build, and the rockets carry a large amount of explosive materials. Once attacked, they may cause serious damage; even if they only successfully interfere with the launch, they may have major national security implications.

It is worth noting that the use of laser countermeasures drones in the space port is also related to the mission environment. Colonel Brian Chatman, commander of the 45th Space Launch Wing, said that extensive use of radio frequencies to interfere with drones may potentially affect space vehicles and is therefore not an ideal option. In contrast, laser systems tested by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory have proven to be able to safely shoot down drones.

However, the report pointed out that laser weapons are still limited by factors such as power supply, heat dissipation, range and weather, and are point defense weapons. For a base as vast as Cape Canaveral, more than one system may need to be deployed in the future to provide a more complete drone defense capability.