A new era of warfare crept in on little cat feet this week, unnoticed by the world at large: the U.S. Navy announced the deployment of its first combat laser to the Persian Gulf. Since last August, the amphibious transport USS Ponce has been armed with a 30-kilowatt laser capable of destroying enemy drones and small attack boats.  The Laser Weapons System (LWS) was developed by the Navy Weapons System Command at a relatively low price (for a new class of weapon) of $40 million.  It passed both static and seagoing tests before being deployed to the Gulf. Deployment aboard the Ponce amounts to an operational test.  The sea is an unforgiving environment, and the Navy needs to see how such a sensitive system operates in the humidity, heat, dust, haze, and strain of a typical seagoing tour. Lasers could prove to be critical weapons in the Gulf.  After their whipping at the hands of the U.S. Navy in 1988’s Operation Praying Mantis, the Iranians switched...(Read Full Post)