DARPA’s MELT Program: Scaling High-Energy Laser Weapons for the Drone Swarm Era

Introduction: Directed Energy Becomes a Strategic Imperative The character of modern warfare is being reshaped by the rapid proliferation of inexpensive drones, autonomous swarms, loitering munitions, and cruise missiles. From Ukraine and the Red Sea to the Middle East and Indo-Pacific, military forces are confronting an increasingly unfavorable cost equation where intercepting a $5,000 drone…