US Navy’s first laser weapon cleared for combat, blows up boat and plane

“Earlier in the year, the US Navy deployed its first combat-ready laser weapon system in the Persian Gulf — and now, after some field testing, we have a glorious video of the laser being used to blow up (unmanned) boats and drones. I’m happy to report that laser weapons are as awesome as you may have hoped — even if they don’t look quite like the beam weapons from Star Wars or Star Trek. Laser weapons can be fired very quickly, and the cost per shot is very low (something like $1, as opposed to thousands of dollars for a small missile). The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is already looking at developing a 150-kilowatt laser system, for testing in 2016 or 2017.”

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/195747-us-navys-first-laser-weapon-cleared-for-combat-blows-up-a-boat-a-small-plane-video