Asia Times: The US Navy is experiencing huge problems with the introduction of laser weapons
The US Navy urgently needs laser weapons, but development failures have stalled the introduction of laser weapons in the fleet, writes Asia Times.
As noted, the US Navy's director of surface warfare requirements, Rear Admiral Fred Pyle, expressed disappointment with the current pace of development of laser weapon systems. In his opinion, in the process of creating laser weapons and introducing them into the US Navy, overly inflated promises, as well as failure to fulfill assigned tasks, are increasingly being recorded.
The US Navy's chief surface warfare officer, Vice Admiral Brendan McClain, also expressed frustration with the pace of development of laser weapon systems for the fleet, noting that such weapons must meet the military-industrial complex's promises of low cost per shot. According to him, at the moment, for the introduction of laser weapons on US Navy ships, such requirements are put forward in terms of weight, dimensions, energy consumption and cooling, which may be impossible for modern American warships.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro expressed concern that the development of laser weapons is taking too long.
The article notes that although current air defense systems on American ships are quite effective, their high cost per shot and limited ammunition cause serious problems. concerns about the high cost of operation and survivability of ships.
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