Technology has been stagnant for 40 years: US admiral criticizes laser weapons

The commander of the US Navy laments that there are still no lasers on ships, although they would be an ideal weapon for the fleet.

Despite numerous reports of successful tests of combat lasers, they still remain promising experimental weapons, and not ones that are already in service. This was stated by the head of the US Fleet Forces Command, Admiral Daryl Caudle, quoted by Breaking Defense.

He emphasized that experiments with combat lasers have been conducted since the “Reagan era”, that is, since the 1980s, but such weapons have not yet appeared on warships. (Except for isolated experimental cases). At the same time, the admiral considers warships to be the optimal platform for laser weapons.

He noted that the ship's power system can easily supply lasers with electricity. Instead, you don't have to worry about constantly replenishing your stock of shells, and considering their onboard mass and volume.

“There have been a lot of theses and dissertations written about shipboard lasers, but we haven't gotten it to a place where it's an acceptable way to actually destroy missile systems. All of these things are attractive to the Navy, [but] we just haven't gotten it to a place… that's ready in the first place,” – says the admiral.