A US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer armed with the ODIN soft-kill laser was present in CENTCOM’s footage showing RGM-109 Tomahawk launches against Iran.
Footage released by CENTCOM shows that one of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, as a part of the fleet that includes a pair of aircraft carriers, is carrying the ODIN laser weapon.
The laser weapon taking the place of the Phalanx CIWS on the bow is seen from the part where the destroyer is launching at least one RGM-109 Tomahawk land attack cruise missile.
The footage also shows one Shaheed 129 armed UAV and what appears to be a Talaash long-range air defence missile launcher for Sayyad 2 missiles being struck.
ODIN-Armed Destroyer Against Iran’s Scouting UAVs?
Back to the ODIN laser weapon detail, it points out the possibility of the US Navy fielding a destroyer specifically to cut off scouting/targeting attempts from Iran using UAVs.
Previously, Iranian UAVs have approached and surveyed US Navy ships on multiple occasions, most ending up being shot down. While shooting them down cuts off the feed for good, the problem of the UAVs leaking their position and heading still exists.
What makes this leak potentially dangerous is the presence of various anti-ship missiles that can be fed with more precise location information before launch or at midcourse.
ODIN, while a laser weapon, is a soft-kill system unlike most others. Instead of damaging the target by focusing a laser beam, the weapon focuses on the optics for blinding. This can allow the ship to convserve its missiles while cutting off scouting attempts. A similar development to ODIN is METEKSAN's NAZAR being developed by Turkiye for land-based and shipborne use, set to be used on Tepe-class (TF2000) air defence destroyers.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
