Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy
| Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN) | |
|---|---|
_Sailors_prepare_to_conduct_a_replenishment-at-sea.webp.png) USS Stockdale (DDG-106) equipped with the ODIN system | |
| Type | Laser weapon |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2019–present |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Northrop Grumman |
| Designed | 2018–2019 |
| Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman |
The Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN), is a directed-energy weapon developed by Northrop Grumman designed to intercept fast-attack craft, aircraft and UAVs, and anti-ship missiles.[1] It was first installed onto the USS Dewey.[2]
Purpose
The ODIN is a dazzler directed-energy weapon which uses a dazzling laser on missiles and drone sensors and cameras in order to confuse them making it unable to find their target or guide correctly.[3]
Characteristics
The ODIN is a "bolt-on" capable weapon that only has the option of dazzling and deterring optical sensors[4] rather than hard-kill an incoming threat, something the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) can do.[5]
History
The ODIN first saw operational service on Dewey. With the ODIN being field tested during late 2019. Several more destroyers had received the ODIN totaling to 8 Arleigh Burke-class destroyer deployed with the weapon system.[N 1]
The ODIN completed its first operational training cycle at the Directed Energy Systems Integration Laboratory (DESIL) at Naval Base Ventura County. The operational training cycle allowed for a new training and operator certification framework for directed-energy weapons that are deployed on naval ships.[6]
Deployment
2024
The first combat deployment seen by the ODIN weapon system was during the Red Sea crisis, where the USS Spruance had been attacked by roughly two dozen missiles and drones launched by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen while transiting the Red Sea along with the Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Indianapolis. The missiles and drones had been intercepted or missed their target.[7] Despite deployment, there are no confirmed reports of it being used during combat operations.
2026
During Operation Epic Fury, multiple destroyers equipped with the ODIN had been deployed in the Arabian Sea making the second combat zone seen by the ODIN.[8]
See also
Notes
References
- ↑ "Here's Our Best Look Yet At The Navy's New Laser Dazzler System". twz.com. July 2021.
- ↑ "Mysterious Laser Turret Appears On US Navy Destroyer USS Dewey". twz.com. November 2019.
- ↑ "Now Arriving: High-Power Laser Competition". July 2022.
- ↑ Eckstein, Megan. "Navy Installing More Directed Energy Weapons on DDGs, Conducting Land-Based Laser Testing This Year". U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
- ↑ "More Than a Laser, HELIOS is an Integrated Weapon System". Lockheed Martin. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ↑ Brahy, Jérôme. "US Navy completes first operational training cycle for new ODIN laser weapon in California". armyrecognition.com. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ↑ Land, Olivia (27 September 2024). "Navy intercepts Houthi barrage of missiles, drones launched at three US warships in the Red Sea". New York Post. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ↑ "USS Spruance Supports Operation Epic Fury". DVIDS.