You’re definitely right that the weapon still has to be aimed. However, I’m not sure this would be as difficult as it might seem (things like stealth technology and electronic warfare aside). The technological capacity to intercept ballistic missile warheads has been present since the late 1950s...
I’m writing a story about warfare several decades in the future. While I was doing research into possible directed-energy weapons, I came across something interesting. I don’t know if there is a name for the whole concept but it can be generally described as the use of brief laser pulses to...