Comment by PaulHoule

The real advantage of laser weapons in this role is a very low consumables cost per shot. A few cents of electricity as opposed to an interceptor missile that could be $50k-$1M. Even shooting down missiles with bullets as in

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_CIWS

can cost about $10k a shot because that thing shoots $30 bullets. That kind of laser can even shoot down artillery shells!

The disadvantage is that the beam is disrupted by poor atmospheric conditions such as clouds and turbulence. If the enemy knows you are using it they will attack when conditions are unfavorable for it. It ought to be backed up by something like "Iron Dome".

An airborne laser can fly above the clouds

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_YAL-1

that one was not so practical because it was powered by mixing two kinds of bleach, which is bad enough when you do it on the ground, worse in the air. The targeting system worked great and I think the assumption was that it would come back when fiber lasers got good enough that it could be electrically powered.