US Deploys Laser Weapons against Drones in the Middle East

The Pentagon is burning through its budget—with lasers. The United States has invested $500 million in deploying laser weapons to counter drones in the Strait of Hormuz and along the U.S. border.

According to the New York Post, these new systems are already on active duty in the Middle East, targeting Iranian hardware. U.S. strategists have calculated that shooting down drones and cruise missiles with a beam of light is far cheaper than expending the precious missiles used by traditional air defense systems.

For the Pentagon, this represents a massive optimization of the military budget: a single laser shot costs the treasury just a few dollars.

Washington expects these space-age technologies to pay for themselves within the first few months of any escalation by protecting U.S. ships from costly missile duels.