Phasers on destroy!

Danger Room - Wired Blogs: "On Monday, the Office of Naval Research awarded contracts to both Raytheon and Boeing worth an initial $6.9 million each for preliminary design work on a new free electron laser, or FEL. This model would be about seven times strong than any similar laser -- reaching up to 100 kilowatts, or weapons-grade. Eventually, that could pave the way for a directed-energy weapon that can replace the Navy's current system for close-in ship defense, the radar-guided Phalanx gun.

The Phalanx system -- which also protects against rocket and mortar attacks on land -- is limited by the range and magazine capacity of its 20mm autocannon. In theory, a laser-based system would offer greater range, and a potentially unlimited number of shots. Plus, it might be fast enough to defend against 'new, challenging threats, such as hyper-velocity cruise missiles,' as Boeing puts it. Directed energy is also an appealing option for countering rocket and mortar fire, because it could theoretically be used to defend populated areas."