Stop hostile skiffs with a zap. Down enemy drones, too. These are some of the selling points of a new shipboard solid-state laser. Boeing and BAE Systems received a $2.8 million contract to test the 10-kilowatt commercial laser installed onto the 25mm gun mount, which is used aboard ship, in 2012. After decades of development, lasers have come far enough that a shipboard laser could enhance a warship’s self-defense, designers say. “If approached by a small boat with unclear intentions, a ship with Mk 38 [Tactical Laser System] could stop it with nonlethal means, such as frying the engine,” Amir…