The Rise of Vehicle-Mounted Lasers: The Global Race to Defeat Drone Swarms and Cruise Missiles

Introduction: Rewriting the Economics of Air Defense Modern warfare is undergoing a profound inversion of cost and capability. For decades, advanced militaries relied on expensive, high-performance platforms and precision interceptors to maintain air superiority. That model is now under sustained pressure. Low-cost drones, loitering munitions, and cruise missiles—often built from commercial components—have democratized precision strike,…