ZEUS - HLONS ( HMMWV Laser Ordnance Neutralization System ) The HLONS ( HMMWV Laser Ordnance Neutralization System ) , commonly known as ZEUS , is a solid - state laser weapon which is used by the U . S . military in order to neutralize surface land mines and unexploded ordnance ( UXO ) . The ZEUS - HLONS system was a co - operative effort between SPARTA , Inc . and NAVEODTECHDIV ( Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division ) to demonstrate that a moderate - power commercial solid state laser ( SSL ) and beam control system could be integrated onto a Humvee ( HMMWV ) and used to clear surface mines , improvised explosive device s ( IEDs ) , or unexploded ordnance ( UXO ) from supply routes and minefields . Features . ZEUS uses a 10 kW solid - state heat capacity ( SSHC ) laser beam to heat target ordnance to the point of causing the explosive filler to ignite and start to burn . Therefore it does not depend on the type of fusing the specific ordnance uses . The resulting neutralization causes a low - level explosion that minimizes collateral damage . It has demonstrated the capability to engage targets from 25 to 300 meters away , as long as they are in line of sight . The Zeus system can be fired up to 2 , 000 times a day . The ZEUS - HLONS system offers a roll - on roll - off capability that is C - 17 and C - 130 transportable . It is also helicopter sling certified . History . Development . The two main people behind the project are Gerald Wilson ( Directed Energy division of the U . S . Army Space and Missile Defense Command ( SMDC ) ) and Owen Hofer ( U . S . engineering firm SPARTA ) , which designed and built the system . Prior to the ZEUS - HLONS system , Explosive Ordnance Disposal ( EOD ) personnel would have to approach such munitions ( either manually , or by robotic platform ) , place an explosive charge near it , and then detonate the charge to destroy the munitions - something they still have to do until laser neutralizing systems are commonplace . Using ZEUS is cheaper ( a few cents per laser shot ) and safer than the traditional method . Lasers were theoretically evaluated for use in causing detonations of explosives in 1986 and laboratory demonstrations were done in 1987 with a 30 kW CO laser . By 1991 demonstrations were done on landmines using a 0 . 3 kW laser and 0 . 8 kW CO laser . The concept of laser neutralization of ordnance was demonstrated in 1994 with the design , development and live field testing of the Mobile Ordnance Disrupter System ( MODS ) . MODS used an M113 A2 armored personnel carrier that supported a 1100 watt arc lamp - pumped laser system . The program was funded by the U . S . Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base ( Florida ) . This was then moved to fitting the system into a Humvee . ZEUS is therefore the 2nd generation of this concept . Its development started in 1996 and was still undergoing upgrades and military demonstrations at the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility ( HELSTF ) at White Sands Missile Range , New Mexico , in 2002 when it was requested to be deployed to Afghanistan ( in December 2002 by General John M . Keane , Vice Chief of Staff of the Army 1999 - 2003 ) . In early 2004 the system was upgraded to a 1 - kilowatt laser and then by late 2004 to a 2 - kilowatt Yb : glass fibre - laser that is diode - pumped and operates in quasi - CW mode . This significantly reduced the overall system weight ( removing about 2 , 000 pounds ) and provided increased output beam power , which equates to extended range . In January 2005 , at the IQPC ' s Directed Energy Weapons conference in London , Gerald Wilson said the system takes between 5 seconds and 4 minutes ( typically 30 seconds ) to destroy a mine , resulting in a clearance rate of up to 25 explosives per hour when equipped with a 0 . 5 kW laser . Deployment . Over its test and deployment history , ZEUS has eliminated more than 1 , 600 ordnance items of 40 different types with more than a 98 % success rate . In March 2003 , ZEUS was deployed to Afghanistan for 6 months to demonstrate its counter - mine capabilities in a combat environment ( Operation Enduring Freedom ) . It was used at Bagram Air Base and neutralized more than 200 munitions ( including 51 in one 100 minute period ) of 10 different types . At the time , the ZEUS - HLONS system was a 1 / 2 kilowatt laser . On March 16 , 2005 , ZEUS was deployed to Iraq to assist in explosive ordnance disposal activities there as part of a three - vehicle convoy protection concept . The Zeus laser was tested and used in Iraq along MSR Tampa by a team of EOD soldiers from the 319th Ord Co ( EOD ) , Tacoma , Washington in February and March 2005 . The HLONS ( Zeus ) was added into the Hunter / Killer Project in an attempt to integrate EOD and Engineer resources . The project illustrated the shortcomings of the system with Counter IED ( C - IED ) operations . Chief among the limitations of the system was the inability to penetrate concealment materials to heat the explosives inside the ordnance , and the tendency of non EOD personnel to utilize the HLONS on all ordnance even if doing so created a more dangerous situation . It is currently being used in Iraq by the U . S . military , in the first battlefield use of any laser weapon .