Naval interest in laser close defence may partly reflect reluctance to revisit earlier decisions about guns. Moving to Rolling Airframe Missiles had already been presented as making gun systems unnecessary. The illustrative prices are about $5,000 for a 57 mm round and roughly 84 times that amount for a RAM missile. RAM can be inexpensive relative to a Standard missile while remaining expensive beside gun ammunition.
Notable Point · 30:11-31:28
Gun ammunition, RAM missiles and the cost of close defence
An illustrative ammunition-cost comparison supports retaining guns alongside missile defences.