“The Boeing YAL-1A, adapted to use a high power solid state pulse laser instead of a chemical laser, might be able to take out so many missiles in launch phase or even on the ground or in the silo,...”
In the silo?
Not a silo in the traditional sense, but a concealed underground launch site. Here is a very interesting reference about Iranian missiles, from FAS:
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/iran/missile/shahab-4.htm
(use drop down menu in upper left to select missile class.)
Because above ground missiles can be satellite observed in launch preparation, it is quite likely that the Iranians have created underground missile launch facilities. However, because they are using liquid fuel missiles, this involves a very tricky process of fueling the missiles just before launch, because the fuel is very corrosive and can’t be left inside the missile for any great length of time before either being pumped out, or the missile is fired.
This involves highly unstable fumes in an already warm silo. Now imagine if a bright laser light raised just the air temperature in the underground facility by 200-300 degrees, just for a few seconds.