{"id":75437,"date":"2024-01-22T15:26:59","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T15:26:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/01\/22\/the-us-navy-could-use-some-lasers-on-its-surface-fleet-right-now\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:02:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:02:05","slug":"the-us-navy-could-use-some-lasers-on-its-surface-fleet-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/01\/22\/the-us-navy-could-use-some-lasers-on-its-surface-fleet-right-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid Red Sea clashes, Navy leaders ask: Where are our ship lasers?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The head of U.S. Naval Surface Forces and other brass have praised the work of Navy destroyers operating in the Red Sea, where they have since October shot down scores of attack drones and missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But applause from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2024\/01\/09\/seeking-75-ready-ships-navy-turns-to-new-readiness-orgs\/\" target=\"_blank\">Vice Adm. Brendan McLane<\/a> and other leaders has been paired with frustrations that ships like the Carney, Gravely, Mason, Laboon and Thomas Hudner are fighting without a potential key asset: the long-planned and ever-elusive laser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8Eaxhl4tqrM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen title=\"Behind the headlines: Lessons from the Red Sea crisis\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">High-energy lasers, or HELs, and high-power microwaves, or HPMs, would offer the surface fleet another weapon for countering overhead threats, including unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets. Despite decades of research and development, as well as billions of dollars spent for a threat like the one the Navy now faces in the Red Sea, such systems have yet to enter the surface fleet and the broader military in a meaningful way, according to analysts and service leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McLane called the glacial pace of development \u201cfrustrating\u201d in a call with reporters this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen I was in Bahrain as [the Destroyer Squadron 50 commanding officer] 10 years ago, the afloat staging base <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/surface-navy-association\/2018\/01\/10\/navys-next-amphibious-warship-to-get-laser-weapon\/\" target=\"_blank\">USS Ponce had a laser on it<\/a>,\u201d McLane told reporters ahead of the Surface Navy Association conference this month. \u201cWe\u2019re 10 years down the road, and we still don\u2019t have something we can field?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/unmanned\/2024\/01\/08\/how-iranian-tech-empowers-houthi-drone-missile-attacks-in-the-red-sea\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1900662733.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">How Iranian tech empowers Houthi drone, missile attacks in the Red Sea<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Houthi militants &quot;are in possession of some of the most sophisticated copies or variants of Iranian weapons,\u201d said Behnam Ben Taleblu.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To date, only a smattering of ships have laser capabilities on board. Few directed-energy tools have made the successful leap from science fiction to real life, with outside experts and government reviews saying the development of such futuristic weaponry is as challenging as it is worthwhile and potentially game-changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Directed energy could complement the panoply of weapons a U.S. destroyer in the Red Sea has at the ready, and their widespread fielding would signal a revolution in military affairs on the level of fighter jets and missiles, according to analysts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McLane suggested that lasers, including today\u2019s versions, would be helpful in batting down Houthi bombardments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAgainst some of the targets that have been shot, some of the systems that we have can be effective,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Directed energy could also help crews <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/asia-pacific\/2024\/01\/18\/japan-buys-hundreds-of-tomahawk-missiles-from-united-states\/\" target=\"_blank\">conserve finite munitions supplies<\/a> while on station, analysts say. The 60-plus confirmed intercepts of drones and missiles hurtling toward Navy ships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea have largely relied on the Standard Missile-2, or SM-2, although service officials have declined to say precisely what was fired in each engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2280\" height=\"1520\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8082817.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8082817.jpg.jpg 2280w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8082817.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8082817.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8082817.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8082817.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8082817.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The U.S. Navy destroyer Carney shot down multiple missiles and drones fired by Iran-allied Houthi rebels on Oct. 19, 2023, in the Red Sea. (MC2 Aaron Lau\/U.S. Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018The way of the future\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Defense Department is spending on average $1 billion annually to develop HEL and HPM weapons, with the goal of deploying them aboard ground vehicles, aircraft and ships. It requested at least $669 million in fiscal 2023 for unclassified research, testing and evaluation, and another $345 million for unclassified procurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But bridging the so-called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/pentagon\/2023\/12\/19\/replicator-an-inside-look-at-the-pentagons-ambitious-drone-program\/\" target=\"_blank\">valley of death<\/a> \u2014 the lag between private development and the military procuring and fielding technology \u2014 has proved difficult, according to the Government Accountability Office. The Defense Department has struggled to get \u201cthese technologies out of the lab and into the field\u201d for a number of reasons, including difficulty in determining how the force would use them during missions, according to an April report by the federal watchdog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWithout early transition planning and drafting transition agreements, the Navy risks developing technology that is misaligned with operational needs,\u201d the report warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outside analysts note that developing such capabilities is not easy. The full realization of deploying directed-energy weapons is \u201csomething of a holy grail,\u201d according to Eric Wertheim, an author, defense consult and U.S. Naval Institute columnist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lack of HEL or HPM systems aboard ships is less of an acquisition failure, he said, and more of a hardware- and software-based jigsaw puzzle left unsolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finding a power source for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/directed-energy\/2023\/12\/26\/raytheon-prototyping-directed-energy-zappers-for-us-air-force-navy\/\" target=\"_blank\">directed-energy weapons<\/a> as well as space for such systems on board a ship that is full of energy-hungry sensors and combat management systems is a serious roadblock, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While lasers can punch holes through a variety of material, certain atmospheric conditions, such as fog or wind, can impede or distort the shot. High-power microwaves can have near-instant frying effects on electronic guts, but they\u2019re less effective at greater ranges.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2024\/01\/18\/what-the-navy-is-learning-from-its-fight-in-the-red-sea\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8198875.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">What the Navy is learning from its fight in the Red Sea<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The surface fleet has shot down scores of attack drones and missiles since October, activity without modern precedent in U.S. Navy history.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly challenging technologically, and the technology is always a step, or a few steps, away from where we would like it to be,\u201d Wertheim said in an interview. \u201cWe\u2019re pushing the barriers, in many ways, along with our allies, and I think that our adversaries are very focused on overwhelming the defenses, as you see in the Red Sea right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Destroyers have already featured Lockheed Martin\u2019s High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) and the Navy\u2019s own Optical Dazzling Interdictor. The former was specifically designed to interdict drones and small, agile boats \u2014 the kind of threats with which Houthi militants are peppering shipping channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navy Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/12\/21\/new-in-2024-will-we-learn-the-findings-of-the-navys-beard-study\/\" target=\"_blank\">Carlos Del Toro<\/a> told reporters at the Surface Navy Association\u2019s conference that he understands McLane\u2019s vexation. He also said the HELIOS system, installed on the destroyer Preble in 2022, is now \u201ca bit beyond\u201d the experimentation phase and primed for growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is the way of the future,\u201d Del Toro said, \u201cand we are going to be looking in the fiscal years \u201926, \u201927 and into the [five-year] Future Years Defense Program on how to accelerate deployment of HELIOS and HELIOS-like capabilities on our DDG-51 [Arleigh Burke-class destroyer] platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy tested a high-energy laser on another type of vessel, the amphibious transport dock Portland, in 2020 and 2021. The ship has more available power to support larger laser weapons, and it went on to disable targets in the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, the service said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2213\" height=\"1718\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/portland2.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-80925\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/portland2.jpg.jpg 2213w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/portland2.jpg.jpg?resize=300,233 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/portland2.jpg.jpg?resize=768,596 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/portland2.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,795 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/portland2.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1192 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/portland2.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1590 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2213px) 100vw, 2213px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The amphibious transport dock Portland fires a laser weapon at a target floating in the Gulf of Aden on Dec. 14, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Donald Holbert\/U.S. Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The good, the bad and the trade-offs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Laser and microwave setups have their respective strengths and weaknesses. Neither requires mechanical reloading like a rifle or a tank; that\u2019s particularly important in a wartime scenario, when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2023\/09\/08\/the-us-navy-is-spending-billions-to-stabilize-vendors-will-it-work\/\" target=\"_blank\">Navy resupply lines<\/a> would be under threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, they do have limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLasers are pretty effective, but they take time,\u201d Bryan Clark, who leads the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at the Hudson Institute think tank, said in an interview. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to have the laser shoot the drone for several seconds, which means it can only shoot one at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To be successful, especially in a swarm scenario with multiple kinds of threats overhead, Clark said, a ship\u2019s sensors would have to differentiate between higher-end targets that demand a kinetic hit and lower-end targets that a laser can manage. The crew aboard the Carney in December intercepted more than a dozen drones that U.S. Central Command described as a \u201cwave\u201d originating from Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI want to use an SM-2 to shoot down the C-802 [missile] or maybe a bigger, more dangerous drone,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hudson.org\/experts\/1303-bryan-clark\" target=\"_blank\">said Clark<\/a>, who in years past served as a special assistant to the chief of naval operations. \u201cBut I don\u2019t want to use an SM-2 to shoot down smaller, less capable drones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/battlefield-tech\/directed-energy\/2023\/11\/13\/us-seeks-to-fund-israeli-laser-as-army-considers-iron-beams-potential\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LASER_BEAM_CREDIT_ISRAELI_IMOD.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US seeks to fund Israeli laser as Army considers Iron Beam\u2019s potential<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The U.S. Army is eyeing Iron Beam as a possible alternative laser to augment its own fire protection capability.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dispatching one-way attack drones that often use cheap, off-the-shelf parts presents an uncomfortable cost-benefit analysis for the Navy. Sophisticated interceptors used by the U.S. can cost millions of dollars each, while a Houthi drone furnished by Iran, like the Shahed and its derivatives, can cost a few thousand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The French Navy has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2024\/01\/11\/french-navy-defends-use-of-million-euro-missiles-to-down-houthi-drones\/\" target=\"_blank\">defended<\/a> its use of Aster 15 missiles to destroy drones, saying what mattered was not the cost of the ordnance but rather the value of ships and people saved from the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Indeed, a ship\u2019s captain must be free to use whichever weapons keep the ship and crew safe, multiple retired surface warfare officers told Navy Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Munitions and more<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Military officials and outside observers see directed energy as a way to save resources and reduce strain on munitions manufacturers. But fielding such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/unmanned\/uas\/2024\/01\/18\/ai-enabled-valkyrie-drone-teases-future-of-us-air-force-fleet\/\" target=\"_blank\">futuristic systems<\/a> will require buy-in by fleet commanders who are used to the tried-and-true conventional arms they have handled for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe threat is constantly adapting. There are some threats that lasers are very well suited for, and some [for which] you might want to have more hard-kill missile defense,\u201d Wertheim said.<b> <\/b>\u201cWe\u2019re going to have a layered defense that will hopefully include directed energy, and I think we\u2019re seeing that. The directed energy percentage will increase over time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are going to be situations where you can\u2019t shoot the archer, so to speak,\u201d he added. \u201cThat\u2019s always the optimal solution \u2014 take out the launchers before they launch. But when you can\u2019t do that, then directed energy has potential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy understands the need to increase its conventional weapons inventory and is attempting to do so with industry\u2019s assistance, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2023\/12\/27\/surface-navy-emphasizes-frigates-in-its-latest-modernization-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\">Rear Adm. Fred Pyle<\/a>,<b> <\/b>the director of surface warfare on the chief of naval operations\u2019 staff. But the service is also on the lookout for \u201ccost-effective ways to neutralize threats,\u201d he said at the SNA conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4256\" height=\"2832\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1695859.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"The Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce conducts a demonstration of the Office of Naval Research-sponsored Laser Weapon System while deployed to the Arabian Gulf.\" class=\"wp-image-82135\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1695859.jpg.jpg 4256w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1695859.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1695859.jpg.jpg?resize=768,511 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1695859.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,681 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1695859.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1022 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1695859.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1363 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4256px) 100vw, 4256px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The amphibious transport dock Ponce tested a laser weapon in the Persian Gulf in 2014. (Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy\u2019s fiscal 2024 budget blueprint, totaling $255.8 billion,<b> <\/b>up 4.5% from the year prior,<b> <\/b>backed multiyear procurements for four long-range weapons: the Standard Missile, the Naval Strike Missile, the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile and the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Firing a directed-energy weapon is advertised as costing pennies to the dollar when compared to a missile or other traditional weapon. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/industry\/techwatch\/2024\/01\/19\/in-first-uk-downs-aerial-drone-with-test-shot-from-dragonfire-laser\/\" target=\"_blank\">DragonFire laser<\/a>, developed by British industry and government, typically costs less than \u00a310 (U.S. $13) per shot, according to the Defence Ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But tapping contractors to build laser or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/unmanned\/2023\/06\/15\/epirus-droneshield-combine-on-uas-roasting-air-defense\/\" target=\"_blank\">microwave systems<\/a>, installing them aboard ships, training crews to use them, and then operating them is less cut and dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe continue to invest in directed-energy capability \u2014 it\u2019s hard,\u201d said Pyle, who helps shepherd money for the development and purchase of new ships and their weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c[Surface warfare officer] boss [McLane] has talked about this. We\u2019re still working on that technology,\u201d he added. \u201cIt requires space, weight, power and cooling, which can be a challenge on our current surface combatants.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWe\u2019re 10 years down the road, and we still don\u2019t have something we can 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