A May 2016 report from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment found that large caliber guns could fire an HVP between 10 and 30 nautical miles at Mach 3, faster than conventional unguided rounds. 

“If you look across these technology efforts, it looks like within the next four to five years, there will actually be prototypes,” said Mark Gunzinger, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a defense research institute.

Directed-energy proponent Mark Gunzinger, of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, says the government needs to do a better job transitioning successful experiments into operational weapons systems. 

“We’re firing very expensive weapons at what is really an inexpensive weapons system,” Haynes said. “That’s going to get pretty costly.”

Bryan Clark, a naval analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said Sunday's event was "very significant."

While the Pentagon will not confirm details of Mason’s engagement, the use of both missiles by the U.S. is, “very significant,” Bryan Clark, a naval analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and former aide to retired former-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert, told USNI News on Monday.