The Royal Navy Wants Robot Warships Bristling With Laser Weapons

The UK envisions a future air defense fleet that's autonomous, networked, and armed with beams of light.

A rendering of a Royal Navy Type 45 guided-missile destroyer firing a high-energy laser weapon. (Laser Wars photo illustration/UK Ministry of Defense)

The UK’s Ministry of Defence is no longer content to simply bolt a high-energy laser weapon onto a warship. Instead, it wants to rethink the warship altogether.

In its 2025 Strategic Defence Review released…