The US Navy will install a solid-state laser weapon on a ship for the first time in fiscal year 2014.
Fitted to USS Ponce, the laser will be part of a number of directed energy programs for ship, airborne and ground use.
Officials are emphasising how cheap the system is to operate.
"Our conservative data tells us a shot of directed energy costs under $1," claimed chief of naval research Matthew Klunder. "Compare that to the hundreds of thousands of dollars it costs to fire a missile, and you can begin to see the merits of this capability."
Source:
http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2013/04/09/55902/us-navy-fires-laser-weapon.htm
