Within Base Defence
Can Lasers Make Drone Defence Affordable?
Against repeated drone attacks, the promise of laser defence is not one dramatic shot but many lower-cost engagements without emptying missile stocks.
On this page
- Why missile stocks become a problem in drone raids
- What lasers change about cost per engagement
- Where persistence still depends on power and cooling
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Introduction
The strongest argument for laser air defence is not that a laser can destroy a drone. Missile systems can already do that. The real attraction is persistence: the ability to engage large numbers of relatively cheap aerial threats without rapidly exhausting expensive interceptor inventories. In a world where small drones can cost a few thousand pounds while interceptor missiles may cost hundreds of thousands or even millions, defenders increasingly face an economic problem as much as a military one. High-energy lasers promise to change that equation by turning electrical power into repeated engagements, potentially allowing a defended base to keep fighting through prolonged drone raids rather than running out of ammunition. Yet that promise depends on practical limits such as power generation, cooling and sustained beam performance. [GAO+2GAO]gao.govgao 23 105868Directed Energy Weapons: DOD Should Focus…17 Apr 2023 —… weapons, such as missiles, including lower per-use cost. A Senate re…
Why Missile Stocks Become a Problem in Drone Raids
Traditional air-defence systems were largely designed to defeat aircraft, cruise missiles and other high-value threats. The spread of inexpensive drones has created a different challenge. An attacker can launch many low-cost targets simultaneously, forcing defenders to decide whether each threat is worth spending a valuable interceptor.
This creates what defence analysts often call an unfavourable cost-exchange ratio. A defender may launch a missile costing hundreds of thousands or millions against a drone worth a tiny fraction of that amount. Recent discussions of drone warfare have highlighted cases where relatively inexpensive unmanned systems threaten assets protected by far more expensive defensive networks. [EPC]epc.euthe new economics of warfareThe new economics of warfare9 Mar 2026 — Yet two were recently disabled by Iranian drones costing roughly $30,000 each – a cost-exchan…
The problem is not only financial. Missile inventories are finite. Every successful interception consumes a round that must eventually be replaced. During a sustained raid, a defending force can face a difficult choice:
- Fire expensive interceptors at every detected target.
- Accept some risk and allow certain threats through.
- Deplete stocks faster than they can be replenished.
For fixed installations such as air bases, logistics hubs and critical infrastructure, this creates a vulnerability that grows with the scale and duration of the attack. A defender may have excellent missiles yet still struggle if dozens or hundreds of drones arrive over an extended period. [National Defense Magazine]nationaldefensemagazine.orggovernment perspective directed energy in air base defense can save the arsenalNational Defense MagazineDirected Energy in Air Base Defense Can Save the Arsenal11 Aug 2025 — The lasers superheat drones and warheads u…
What Lasers Change About Cost Per Engagement
Lasers attack the problem from a different direction. Instead of launching a physical interceptor, they focus energy onto a target until critical components fail. Because the weapon draws from an electrical power source rather than a magazine of missiles, each engagement primarily consumes electricity and system wear rather than a complete munition. [GAO]gao.govScience & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy Weapons25 May 2023 — Directed energy weapons (DEW) use concentrated electromagnetic energy t…
This is why many military laser programmes emphasise cost per shot. Government and industry sources repeatedly identify lower per-use costs as one of the major advantages of directed-energy systems. Recent laser demonstrations have been promoted as having engagement costs measured in single digits or tens of pounds or dollars rather than thousands or millions. [Tom's Hardware+3GAO+3GAO]gao.govgao 23 105868Directed Energy Weapons: DOD Should Focus…17 Apr 2023 —… weapons, such as missiles, including lower per-use cost. A Senate re…
The significance of this becomes clearer during repeated attacks:
ScenarioMissile DefenceLaser DefenceTen dronesTen interceptors consumedPrimarily electrical energy consumedFifty dronesSignificant magazine depletionContinued engagement if power and cooling remain availableExtended raidResupply becomes criticalPersistence depends on system endurance rather than ammunition stocks
The key mechanism is often described as “deep magazine” or “unlimited magazine depth”. A laser does not literally possess infinite ammunition, but it can continue firing as long as sufficient electrical power and thermal capacity remain available. That makes it particularly attractive for defending fixed sites that already possess generators, fuel reserves and supporting infrastructure. [National Defense Magazine+2TechRadar]nationaldefensemagazine.orggovernment perspective directed energy in air base defense can save the arsenalNational Defense MagazineDirected Energy in Air Base Defense Can Save the Arsenal11 Aug 2025 — The lasers superheat drones and warheads u…
When Persistence Actually Beats Interceptors
Laser persistence becomes most valuable under a specific set of conditions.
First, the threat must be numerous enough that interceptor expenditure becomes a concern. A single incoming target rarely justifies deploying a specialised laser system. The advantage appears when defenders expect repeated engagements over hours or days.
Second, targets must be within the laser’s effective envelope. Drones, loitering munitions and some other relatively slow aerial threats are frequently cited as suitable targets because they remain exposed long enough for the beam to achieve damaging effects. [RTX]rtx.comHigh-Energy Lasers | RaytheonRaytheon's high-energy laser systems use photons, or particles of light, to carry out military missions a…
Third, the defended location must support sustained operations. Fixed bases can provide electrical power, maintenance personnel, spare parts and cooling systems that are harder to carry on highly mobile battlefield vehicles. This infrastructure advantage is a major reason why base defence has become a leading laser mission. [National Defense Magazine]nationaldefensemagazine.orggovernment perspective directed energy in air base defense can save the arsenalNational Defense MagazineDirected Energy in Air Base Defense Can Save the Arsenal11 Aug 2025 — The lasers superheat drones and warheads u…
A useful way to think about the comparison is that missiles excel at reaching distant, fast or particularly dangerous targets, while lasers are increasingly attractive for handling large numbers of cheaper threats inside a defended zone. Rather than replacing interceptors, they can preserve them for situations where a missile’s range or lethality is genuinely needed. Recent defence concepts increasingly describe hybrid architectures that combine both approaches. [The Strategist]aspistrategist.org.auwar at the speed of light the emerging role of directed energy weaponsThe Strategistthe emerging role of directed-energy weapons15 Apr 2026 — Certainly, directed-energy weapons may be key to inexpensively co…
Where Persistence Still Depends on Power and Cooling
The phrase “unlimited magazine” can be misleading because lasers are constrained by resources that missiles largely avoid.
Heat Becomes the New Ammunition Problem
Laser systems generate substantial heat. Only part of the input energy becomes the outgoing beam; the remainder must be removed from the system. If thermal loads build faster than cooling systems can handle them, performance may degrade or firing rates may have to be reduced. Advanced thermal management is therefore a central engineering challenge rather than a secondary concern. [Mobility Engineering Technology+2PatSnap]mobilityengineeringtech.com37608 thermal management for directed energy weaponsMobility Engineering TechnologyThermal Management for Directed Energy Weapons10 Sept 2020 — Advanced thermal management is one of the key…
For a fixed base, this challenge is manageable because large cooling equipment and power infrastructure can be installed. For mobile platforms, the same requirement competes with vehicle weight, space and fuel constraints.
Continuous Engagements Consume Electrical Capacity
A missile battery can continue firing until its launchers are empty. A laser battery can continue firing only while sufficient electrical power is available. During heavy operations, power generation and distribution become operational considerations. The practical endurance of the weapon therefore depends on the broader energy infrastructure supporting it. [National Defense Magazine]nationaldefensemagazine.orggovernment perspective directed energy in air base defense can save the arsenalNational Defense MagazineDirected Energy in Air Base Defense Can Save the Arsenal11 Aug 2025 — The lasers superheat drones and warheads u…
Weather and Atmosphere Matter
Unlike a missile, a laser beam must travel through the atmosphere. Rain, fog, smoke, dust and turbulence can reduce effectiveness by scattering or absorbing energy. These effects do not eliminate the value of laser defence, but they mean that persistence on paper does not always translate into persistence under real battlefield conditions. [The Strategist+2Defence Science Review]aspistrategist.org.auwar at the speed of light the emerging role of directed energy weaponsThe Strategistthe emerging role of directed-energy weapons15 Apr 2026 — Certainly, directed-energy weapons may be key to inexpensively co…
The Real Value: Saving the Missile Arsenal
The most realistic vision of laser defence is not a future where missiles disappear. It is a layered defence in which lasers absorb a large share of routine drone engagements while conventional interceptors remain available for more demanding threats.
In that role, laser persistence can outperform missile interceptors economically and operationally. Every drone destroyed by electrical power rather than a costly missile preserves scarce defensive stocks. During prolonged raids, that preservation effect may become more important than any individual interception. The decisive advantage is therefore not a single dramatic shot but the ability to keep shooting when a missile-based defence would be counting its remaining rounds. [National Defense Magazine+2GAO]nationaldefensemagazine.orggovernment perspective directed energy in air base defense can save the arsenalNational Defense MagazineDirected Energy in Air Base Defense Can Save the Arsenal11 Aug 2025 — The lasers superheat drones and warheads u…
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Endnotes
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Link: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-105868Source snippet
Directed Energy Weapons: DOD Should Focus...17 Apr 2023 —... weapons, such as missiles, including lower per-use cost. A Senate re...
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Source: gao.gov
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Science & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy Weapons25 May 2023 — Directed energy weapons (DEW) use concentrated electromagnetic energy t...
Published: May 2023
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Title: the new economics of warfare
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The new economics of warfare9 Mar 2026 — Yet two were recently disabled by Iranian drones costing roughly $30,000 each – a cost-exchan...
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Directed Energy Weapons DOD Should Focus on Transition...DOD spends about $1 billion annually on directed energy--concentrated electroma...
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Bush - it neutralized multiple UAVs for a fraction of the cost of a missile, protecting the fleet from cheap enemy drone swarmsThe U.S. N...
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High-Energy Lasers | RaytheonRaytheon's high-energy laser systems use photons, or particles of light, to carry out military missions a...
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Title: dew thermal management vs avionics cooling patsnap eureka
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DEW Thermal Management vs Avionics Cooling15 Apr 2026 — Directed energy weapons operate most efficiently under particular temperature con...
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National Defense MagazineDirected Energy in Air Base Defense Can Save the Arsenal11 Aug 2025 — The lasers superheat drones and warheads u...
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A $413 million (£316 million) contract has been awarded to MBDA UK to deploy DragonFire on the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers starting i...
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Title: 37608 thermal management for directed energy weapons
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DEFENCE SCIENCE REVIEWby A Karkadakattil · 2026 · Cited by 1 — Laser Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) significantly reduce engagement timel...
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Energy Weapons - Air and Space Power CentreSolid-state lasers can offer a near-continuous target engagement, depending on the power suppl...
Additional References
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(PDF) Laser-Based Directed Energy WeaponsThis review aims to evaluate the current capabilities of laser-based Directed Energy Weapons (DE...
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This innovation was unveiled at the AUSA Global Force event in Huntsville and is designed for scalability and flexibility in modern comba...
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Growth Opportunities in Laser and Microwave Defense27 Oct 2025 — Discover how directed energy weapons (DEWs) are transforming global defe...
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Directed Energy Weapons in Counter-UAV Defense | 2025Explore how directed energy weapons are transforming modern defense by enhancing cou...
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