After decades of experimentation, directed-energy weapons development is moving into field-testing of solid-state high-energy laser systems packaged to fit on combat aircraft, ships and vehicles, paving the way for operational deployment early in the next decade. Boost-Phase Missile Defense Under its Low-Power Laser Demonstrator (LPLD) program, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) plans to install a multikilowatt laser on a high-altitude unmanned aircraft to validate the ...
