Total generating capacity differs from the ability to release energy in the right pulse. A ship may have megawatts available and still need capacitors or another storage system that can discharge rapidly enough for the weapon. The Zumwalt class stands out because its electrical plant offers unusual power margin among existing surface combatants. Continuing to develop such hulls would preserve a platform on which higher-energy weapons can mature.
Notable Point · 3:30:53-3:31:33
Zumwalt's power margin for directed-energy weapons
Lasers and other pulsed weapons need both ample generation and rapid-release storage, making Zumwalt's integrated power system an important experimental foundation.