Critics of traditional missile defense often point to cost asymmetry: interceptors costing millions of dollars versus drones ᴀssembled for tens of thousands. That arithmetic has shaped much of Iran’s drone doctrine. Saturation aims to exhaust magazines.
But magazine depth is no longer the only variable.
In recent years, the U.S. Navy has been experimenting with directed energy systems—both laser and high-powered microwave platforms—designed specifically to address the drone swarm problem. Unlike kinetic interceptors, these systems do not “fire” traditional ammunition. They draw from the ship’s power generation capacity.
