Pentagon bets big on laser weapons as drone defence

The Pentagon, which is the part of the US government that runs the military, has decided to start building and using laser weapons for real.

A laser is a very strong, focused beam of light that can burn or melt things from far away.

The military used to shoot down enemy drones with giant missiles, but those missiles can cost millions of dollars.

Enemy drones can cost as little as a few hundred dollars, so the military was spending way too much money.

Lasers are much cheaper to use because firing one only costs a few dollars' worth of electricity.

The US Army plans to buy up to 24 laser systems, and the US Air Force has already put laser weapons on bases in Europe.

These lasers fire at the speed of light and can melt a drone's parts or fry its electronic brain.

Lasers cannot work well in thick fog or heavy rain, so the military will still keep missiles and other weapons as backups.

Big companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon will build these new laser weapons.