re: #102 goddamnedfrank

Lasers will eventually be fielded for point defense, littoral combat against small kamikaze boats (attack on USS Cole), drones and interdiction. Our mistake with the ABL concept was trying to make them a long range stand off option for shooting down ballistic missiles during the launch phase. The entire point of directed energy is to take the per shot cost down, the using a gigantic plane and enormous chemical laser for ABL was never, ever going to offer that.

USAF has a goal of 2030.

The U.S. Air Force has released a new request for a high-powered laser weapon that could be mounted on a next-generation air dominance fighter in the post-2030 era.
“The emphasis of this effort is to identify potential laser systems that could be integrated into a platform that will provide air dominance in the 2030+ highly contested Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) environments,” the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) said in a Request for Information document posted on FEDBIZOPPS last week.

Worth pondering that at very high altitude, little stands in the way of the beam in an anti air mission. No clouds, smoke or even humidity.