They forgot about the electric and magnetic field at angles pulses though, eh?

The Minions from Despicable Me :)
30 % more efficient then the next best thing is a big deal though. Especially given just how much excess heat a laser generates.
These disk laser units might also prove to be more compact and modular, meaning the cavity of the delivery vehicle may not have to be substantially modified to accommodate the unit. Maybe ideal for mounting in a small fighter aircraft as a future replacement for flak.

So what could a 30kW laser actually do? How much would that need to be increased to be effective?

It would also be interesting to know if wavelength of the lasers can be adjusted to find the best penetration for a target surface.

From the photo it appears that the unit itself would be like the size of a 20 foot shipping container not counting the power source. Certinly does not seem to be mobile !

Oompalumpas anyone I seem to remeber a HEL being mounted onto a US Navy ship - wasnt that a 50 kW that could take out UAVs?

I think you could fit it in a vehicle the size of an M-113. even assuming real low efficiency you could probably power it with just another alternate on the fan belt.

I wonder what the cost difference is between this system and the few corner-cube reflector mirrors that will take them down.

@ Alonzo Riley Mirrors that work against lasers this powerful are expensive and it is almost impossible to put the energy back on the source close enough to damage the laser.

What happens to a target with a mirrored surface??