That idea has been debunked so many times it's pathetic.
“Directed-energy beams such as lasers can be countered with reflective materials and, for a slowly spinning ballistic missile, there would be little effect on any one spot.
That idea has been debunked so many times it’s pathetic. “
No kidding. They said this 10 years ago. Truth is, anything you do to laser-proof a missile only makes it easier to kill some other way, and makes it even harder to make the missile work in the first place. Make it reflective so radar gets a nice, early and long look at it...our military would like that, actually. Make the missile spin, as if it’s not hard enough to make a supersonic missile work. Make it reinforced, because heavier helps, right? Jeez, do some thinking.
The forces at work on a supersonic missile actually help you to destroy it - the stresses on the missile are already very high so it’s like popping a balloon. Directed energy works and has been proven in the field now, and I know the navy is keen on this because high power lasers are getting smaller and cheaper these days.