[Carl Vehse]

"It should move so quickly through the atmosphere — about 20 times the speed of sound — at such low altitudes that it's impossible for enemy missile defense systems to shoot out of the air."

But what if the enemy has a laser defense system? Laser light can travel at over 870,000 times the speed of sound.

[z3n]

But what if the enemy has a laser defense system? Laser light can travel at over 870,000 times the speed of sound.

~~~

Tracking and fixing a laser on something moving that speed in the upper atmosphere is ridiculous, and you’d be lucky to keep it on target for more than milliseconds at a time, and I could be wrong but I don’t think anyone has a laser with enough power to harm a small target at that distance without a significant interval locked on

[Jewbacca]

“But what if the enemy has a laser defense system? Laser light can travel at over 870,000 times the speed of sound.”

That would be the way.

But the laser system would have to: (a) detect the weapon and (b) stay on target long enough to damage said target.

Currently there is no laser weapon (even Israeli laser weapons) that can accomplish such a task. The weapon is just closing too fast over the horizon.