Navy

The Navy Is Arming Nuclear Subs With Lasers. No One Knows Why.

Laser weapons can strike at the speed of light, and they’re quickly deploying to every possible fighting domain, whether on land, in the air, and at sea. But what about under the sea?

Open-source budget documents, the earliest of which date back to 2011, show the Navy’s plans to arm Virginia-class nuclear subs with high-energy laser weapons. It’s a strange idea seeing as laser weapons definitely do not work underwater. Submarines are also quiet recluses by design, rarely popping their heads above water

But despite these glaring contradictions, experts talking to Popular Mechanics say a laser sub makes more sense than you might think.