Why the next close-in defense may combine guns and lasers

Will the next generation of close-in weapons use a 40 mm gun, a 76 mm system, or directed energy?

A hybrid of lasers and advanced 35 mm or 40 mm projectile weapons is more likely than an immediate all-or-nothing replacement.

The panel expects lasers and projectile weapons to overlap rather than one immediately replacing the other. It compares the late development of conventional guns with the transition from piston fighters such as the Bearcat to early jets such as the Sabre. The discussion points to the 35 mm Millennium Gun, renewed interest in 40 mm weapons, and even four-barrel concepts. Other proposals place a laser beside an existing Phalanx-style mount. A hybrid installation is therefore presented as the likely bridge into directed-energy defence.