BLUF

Despite their successes, US Navy ships are fighting without a potential key asset: the long-planned and ever-elusive laser.

Summary

  1. Destroyers operating in the Red Sea have shot down scores of drones and missiles fired by Houthi rebels.
  2. High-energy lasers offer the fleet another weapon for countering overhead threats.
  3. Despite decades of development, such systems have yet to enter the surface fleet.

References