[Still Thinking]

Yeah, seems like you’d have blooming problems, though if you’re talking low atmosphere (as with a typical drone) maybe the range is such that it’s not a problem. [shrug]

[doorgunner69]

Been many years since I had access to literature about laser defense research. What I do recall for a shipboard design was to overcome blooming and fog attenuation was a pre-shot of pulsed laser to clear a channel, the let it rip with the kill shot.

Might be what the two power level shot is for, to blast open a clear shot in any weather.