The U.S. Air Force will this summer begin testing a laser that will be mounted on an F-15 warplane, according to French news agency Agence France-Presse.
The Pentagon last year awarded a $26 million contract to Lockheed Martin for a laser program called SHiELD (Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator).
The idea is to put a laser system on aircraft with an output of about 50 kw to test their ability to zap drones or cruise missiles.
By focusing a beam on a target, the technology rapidly heats it up inside, causing it to crash or explode.
