The Navy will deploy an experimental laser attack weapon in the Persian Gulf to deter Iran from using drones and speedboats to attack American warships. The $40 million prototype, which will be installed aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Ponce, uses directed energy to burn holes through enemy vessels at sea or in the air; a blast costs a fraction of what a missile would. In testing, the weapon has succeeded in destroying 12 out of 12 of its drone and small boat targets, officials say. The Gulf swarms with attack boats; in 2000, one such boat laden with explosives was driven into the USS Cole in Yemen, killing 17 sailors. The laser weapon should be operational sometime next year.
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