
The U.S. Navy plans to develop and install a 60-kilowatt laser weapon system on an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer (DDG-51) and begin deploying it in fiscal year 2020, according to a recent request for information (RFI) on industry capabilities.The laser, called the Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS), could be used to counter such threats as unmanned aerial vehicles and fast-attack boats, the March 7 RFI says. The SNLWS will be placed on a destroyer that has the existing Flight…