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11 Nov 2025
High-power laser firm is shipping amplifiers for the 'HELSI 2' megawatt-scale laser weapon program.
nLight has reported a sharp rise in sales revenues for its latest financial quarter, as demand increases from around the world for high-power lasers to be deployed in directed energy weapons.
The Camas, Washington, firm, which is providing its high-power sources under several US military contracts and to international customers, posted revenues of $66.7 million for the three months ending September 30 - up 19 per cent year-on-year.
Aerospace and defense deployments - largely relating to directed energy and laser sensing applications - accounted for $46 million (more than two-thirds) of that total, and were up more than 50 per cent on the same period last year.
A significant chunk of that total relates to work carried out under the “HELSI 2” effort by the US Department of Defense to develop a megawatt-scale laser weapon, enough power in theory to neutralize ballistic missiles and hypersonic weapons.
Worth a total of $171 million to nLight across three years, the HELSI 2 program is scheduled to be completed in 2026, with nLight’s CEO Scott Keeney telling an investor conference call that the firm was on track to meet DoD requirements on time.
Margins improve
In the same conference call, Keeney highlighted good progress under the DOD’s “DE M-SHORAD” effort to produce 50 kW laser weapons for the US Army’s “Stryker” combat vehicles, and strong interest in directed energy sources for the mooted “Golden Dome” air defense system.
The CEO also told investors that nLight had begun shipping high-power sources to a new international customer during the latest quarter, and that orders for the firm’s laser sensing products - used in applications such as missile guidance, countermeasures, and rangefinding - were growing.
On the commercial side of nLight’s business, sales of $21 million were down significantly on the same period last year, with Keeney indicating that although the firm’s industrial and microfabrication markets have stabilized, he still expected revenues to decline next year.
With several existing and newly signed contracts expected to make up any future shortfall from the DE M-SHORAD and HELSI 2 efforts as they start to wind down next year, the nLight team said that sales in the December quarter should be in the region of $75 million.
“We expect continued sequential aerospace and defense revenue growth in the fourth quarter as many of the programs previously announced continue to ramp,” Kenney commented.
“As a result, we expect full year 2025 aerospace and defense revenue growth to exceed our prior outlook for growth of at least 40 per cent year-over-year.”
The CEO also highlighted improved profit margins as the company ramps its production of high-power laser amplifiers, with the latest accounting period yielding an operating loss of $7.3 million - down from $11.8 million a year ago.
• nLight’s Nasdaq-listed stock price held on to recent gains following the latest update. Currently trading at around $35 the stock’s valuation has more than tripled since the start of 2025, and now equates to a market capitalization in the region of $1.8 billion.
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