#Laser Weapons

The Pentagon has quietly taken a major step toward building the first American space-based interceptors—weapons designed to strike enemy ballistic missiles in the opening seconds after launch, while they’re still clawing upward through the atmosphere and unable to maneuver.

Ukrainian forces struck a major Russian aviation plant in the city of Taganrog overnight, destroying what defense analysts say was one of the most unusual and secretive aircraft in Russia’s inventory—the A-60 1A2, a Soviet-era airborne laser weapons platform intended to blind satellites and shoot down aircraft.

Lasers can shoot down drones for pennies—but why are they still failing on real battlefields? From London to Beijing, nations are showcasing laser air defense systems as the future of warfare. But recent reports suggest these weapons might be more fragile than their futuristic image implies.