One interesting thing I would like to know about this laser technology, if it actually works.
If it does work, it’s not a stretch to think it could be scaled to high altitude or space based directed energy weapons which would be a game changer.
It would be a shame if that North Korean Spy Satellite that was recently launched suddenly fell out of orbit.
It does work and has worked for some time. The power requirements are extreme, and the necessary generators are too heavy for deployment in satellites or even most aircraft.
Ground-based or ship-based systems are a natural fit.
There were dozens of video streams a few weeks ago showing these systems taking down HAMAS missiles. The cover story was that these were "lens flares", but the shots are very distinctive and so are the results. It was one-shot-one-kill for every missile targeted.
The rate of fire is not very good. The systems require a lot of time to charge up and to cool down for each shot. The Iron Dome missile swarms got off about 10-20 shots for every laser shot in many of the videos. But IDF ran out of Iron Dome missiles, and they are having trouble getting more of them. They still have electric generators. They need a lot more of these laser systems.
It is still very difficult to stop swarmed missile attacks. But it is possible.