The US Navy's top admiral says lasers are key to keeping cheap drones from eating into warship missile magazines

As the US Navy assesses what weapons it could need in a layered defense against a range of threats, laser weapons could be a promising choice. US Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Donald Holbert The US Navy's top admiral wrote an op-ed saying laser weapons are necessary to counter cheap drones. Lasers and other directed-energy weapons are preferable against low-cost targets. The Navy recognizes that using high-end munitions against cheaper threats is unsustainable. The US Navy's top admiral sees laser weapons as a strategic answer to the cost challenge of combating cheap drones. The Navy has been looking to laser and directed-energy weapons as a potentially cheaper means of neutralizing uncrewed systems, preserving limited and much more expensive interceptor missiles for higher-end threats. Laser weaponry, however, has been tricky to develop, as its effectiveness in combat depends heavily on power, cooling, and other shipboard systems.