The U.S. Air Force plans to eventually arm its fleet of drones and fighter jets with high-tech laser weapons able to incinerate enemy targets from the sky, service officials said.
Aircraft-launched laser weapons could be engineered for a wide range of potential uses, including air-to-air combat, close air support, counter-unmanned aerial system (or drone), counter-boat, ground attack and even missile defense -- possibly within the next decade, officials said.
Lasers use intense heat and light energy to incinerate targets without causing a large explosion -- and they operate at very high speeds, giving them a near instantaneous ability to destroy fast-moving targets and defend against incoming enemy attacks, according to Air Force Chief Scientist Dr. Greg Zacharias.
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