The US military is set to officially add laser weapons to its arsenal as drones reshape warfare.
Lasers have long been the stuff of science fiction battles, but are yet to be used in combat after 50 years of testing — although the British navy is close to deploying a weapon on some ships.
Drones, though, have changed the economics: They are plentiful and cheap, and firing multi-million-dollar Patriot missiles at $35,000 Iranian Shaheds is like “throwing Ferraris at frisbees,” one US lawmaker said in April. Lasers need no ammunition and can be as cheap as a few dollars a shot. Still, development has had its casualties: One air-defense laser shot down a party balloon during testing, WIRED reported.