US Navy deploys laser weapon to Persian Gulf for first-ever combat mission

The US Navy has deployed its first ever combat laser. The futuristic weapon has boosted the arsenal of the Fifth Fleet’s command vessel in the Persian Gulf. The laser is said to be effective against numerous small targets, such as Iran’s gunboats. A 30-kilowatt-class Laser Weapon System has been equipped on the USS Ponce amphibious transport ship since late August, Navy officials told Bloomberg.  The device is capable of focusing beams from six solid-state commercial welding lasers into a single strong beam, which can be used both as a b…