A laser cannon may be mounted on to a US warship as soon as 2020
War Is Boring: The U.S. Navy’s Persian Gulf Patrol Boats Just Got Laser-Guided Missiles
AGM-176 Griffin missiles give boats a fighting chance
The U.S. Navy is completing a host of sweeping modernization upgrades to its fleet of 14 Patrol Coastal boats by integrating new laser-guided weapons, communications technology, drone sensors and navigation systems to enable the ships to respond to newly-emerging coastal threats.
“This modernization consists of numerous upgrades that support coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance, which are important aspects of littoral operations outlined in the Navy’s maritime strategy,” said Colleen O’Rourke, spokeswoman for Naval Sea Systems Command.
The modernization overhaul is intended to extend the service life of the 1990s-era P.C. boat fleet into the mid-2020s and beyond. The expected service life of a P.C. is roughly 30 years, O’Rourke said.
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Update #1: US navy's new $192m laser cannons can fry boats, drones and incoming missiles -- NEWS.com.au
Update #2: The US Navy Bought Its First Big Laser Cannon -- Motherboard
WNU Editor: At $192 million .... they better do their job.
