Laser

Pentagon Seeks Next Phase In Laser Weapon Technology

Vice Admiral James Syring, director of the Missile Defence Agency, said that the time is now right to explore weaponized lasers mounted on high-altitude drones. The plan is to see how the technology matures over the next three years.

“We have significantly ramped up our programme in terms of investment and talking about it more of what else needs to be done to mature this capability,” Syring said.

High-altitude UAVs fly at 65,000 feet (19.8 km) or higher, far above the tops of mountains and most inclement weather formations. They can fly for days or even weeks, keeping an eye out on enemy activity, ready to act at a moment’s notice.

For the military, attaining a method of disabling ballistic missiles in their vulnerable boost phase (before they reach full speed, or can deploy decoys or take evasive action) has long been a standing goal. $5 billion and 16 years were spent on building the Airborne Laser, a modified Boeing 747, that shot down a missile in a 2010 test using its chemical laser.