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Lasers might be really useful if a ship is being attacked by a swarm of drones. (The part about hitting those drones may be future, though...)

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What's special about a drone that a laser would be better for than existing close-in weapon systems?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-in_weapon_system

The problem with drones is that there can be a lot of them, and they can be maneuvering. They can overwhelm conventional defenses. Lasers let you at least not run out of ammunition.

But how does a laser improve on that? They're slow and have to stay on a target for a while to damage it. Close-in defenses fire thousands of rounds per second and every single one of those rounds can take a drone out instantly if it hits.

The same blog has an excellent series on lasers as a naval weapon:

part 1: https://www.navalgazing.net/Lasers-at-Sea-Part-1

NB/ Lasers do not cope well with smoke, fog or rain.

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