Sci Fi? I think not.

Today.....I learned that the US Navy has finally developed a working laser weapons platform for use on Navy vessels. It can kill small boats, missiles, and drones.

Welcome to a new age people.

pics or it didn't happen !

http://nydailynews.com/1.1311093

Like.

Bonus;
If we're ever attacked by a Godzilla sized cat this might be the only laser pen capable of distracting it.

Good job at catching up with us flyboys, Navy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_laser

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_NC-135

Freakin pidgeons.

I think its use would be limited, bad weather would render it less effective and its limited range means it must be used as a close in weapon, whilst it is cheap to use it takes several seconds(10 seconds or so in the video above) to engage and destroy a target so I doubt it would be much use against multiple incoming sea skimming missiles, though it mostly seems to be being deployed to deal with drones

They're deploying it in the middle east specifically for that purpose.

Awinnell wrote:...its limited range means it must be used as a close in weapon, whilst it is cheap to use it takes several seconds(10 seconds or so in the video above) to engage and destroy a target so I doubt it would be much use against multiple incoming sea skimming missiles...

I was going to say mount them in arrays but, having had a chance to look at the website now: probably a bit large

Maybe once the tech gets a bit smaller they could be mounted in groups of five or something: get one shot off every two seconds, or engage five targets all at once depending on how long the engagement window is.

Guess we're still a few decades off point-defence laser clusters yet... damnit.