HUNTSVILLE, Ala — The Army will pick the winner of its first production contract for high-energy, vehicle-mounted air-defense lasers next year, a milestone in the Pentagon’s decades-long pursuit of practical directed-energy weapons. But their wide adoption will depend on whether commanders and troops can be convinced to forgo today’s interceptor missiles and other options, according to the Army’s critical-technologies chief.

In recent years, the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office has developed 17 prototype systems that use directed energy to down incoming drones, rockets, and missiles. Several of these, including 50-kilowatt Raytheon lasers mounted on Stryker vehicles, were sent for testing in the Middle East. The results gave Army leaders the confidence to as

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