Why the military is obsessed with the myth of the ‘infinite magazine’

Directed-energy weapons are often sold as systems that can fire forever. In practice, dwell time, heat, and the chaos of the battlefield impose strict limits on how many threats they can actually stop.

Amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) conducts a high-energy laser weapon system demonstration on a static surface training target, Dec. 14, while sailing in the Gulf of Aden. [Photos: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Donald Holbert; Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Devin Kate]

High-energy laser weapons are often touted as offering decisive advantages over conventional kinetic systems, from speed-of-light engagement to a comparatively low cost per shot. But no claimed strength is more misleading than the promise of an “infinite magazine.”1

A fixture of military talking points and defense contractor briefings on directed energy for years,........

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