GoKawiil
Tech News
Admiral Daryl Caudle, the U.S. Navy's top officer, described a vision for equipping ships across the fleet with directed-energy weapons. He said the lasers could supplement missile defenses, reduce the cost of shooting down incoming threats, and eventually scale up to megawatt-class power levels.
The U.S. Navy has awarded a $3.8 million contract to America's largest shipbuilder, marking the company's first publicly known foray into naval laser weapon development. The deal comes as the Navy accelerates efforts to move directed-energy weapons from experimental prototypes into systems that can actually be fielded on ships.
Xcimer, a laser-based fusion startup, has struck a partnership and investment deal with RTX, the conglomerate that owns Raytheon. The move reflects a broader trend of fusion companies seeking defense industry backing as climate tech venture funding tightens, reviving fusion's historical ties to national security research.