Aircraft carriers can replenish and rearm the aircraft that provide a task group's outer air defence, while area-air-defence destroyers and frigates may have to leave the operating area for missile reloads. That difference is one reason a fleet needs multiple escorts rather than relying on one highly capable hull. Lasers promise much denser ammunition storage because their shots draw on electrical energy, potentially easing the burden of moving conventional rounds and missiles. This remains a future possibility: at the time of recording, testing had not produced widespread fleet adoption.
Chapter · 45:15-46:49
Why carriers can rearm at sea and lasers remain a future answer
Carrier magazines can rearm aircraft at sea, whereas escorts may need port access, and lasers would change that logistics problem only after they become dependable.