However, the SSL-TM laser promises to be significantly more powerful than either of these previous systems, being in the 150-kilowatt class. The prototype laser developed under the MLD program was in the 15-kilowatt class, though Northrop Grumman did also demonstrate a system consisting of multiple lasers that created a single beam with a combined power of 105 kilowatts. The LaWS laser was in the 30-kilowatt class.

The SSL-TM testing on Portland will be important to demonstrate that the various components of the new system, including the beam director and the power generation and cooling equipment, work as intended in the harsh maritime environment and can sustain routine operation of the laser at full power. The Navy has said in the past that this will provide valuable information for crafting improved prototypes and eventually operational systems, including through follow-on programs that are already in the works. It will also offer an opportunity to develop and refine concepts of operation around using the higher-powered laser.