Laser Plating

Laser plating or phased-array laser plating are phased array emitters for laser beams. Their prime advantage over earlier turreted lasers is greatly-reduced volume requirements, and their ability to near-instantly re-target their laser beam on any location within the plating's field of vision (though range is degraded at extreme sideways angles).

First developed during the late Wormhole Rush, early laser plating did not perform well and faced considerable engineering challenges before it made a competitive weapon; it was not until well into the Second Interstellar Period that these systems supplanted conventional beam generators and "eyeball" turrets.

Laser plating is commonly seen on modern spacecraft for point defense, where ranges are shorter and its instant-retargeting ability allows it to handle large numbers of incoming projectiles.