October 18, 2019
Laser Weapons On Stealth Jets: The Future of the U.S. Air Force?
What happens when F-35s and F-22s get lasers?
by Sebastien Roblin
Key Point: Near perfect precision, virtually unlimited ammunition, and an ability to disable more targets than ever before.
On April 23, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) tested a fiber-optic laser at the White Sands Test Range in New Mexico that successfully shot down “multiple air-launched missiles in flight.â€
The Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHIELD), pictured here, currently exists as a bulky, ground-based demonstrator. However, the Air Force is optimistic that SHIELD can be shrunk to a small pod that could be tested on an F-15 fighter by 2021 and eventually integrated also integrated into F-16 and F-35 single-engine fighters. Some sources suggest the system may see its first flight tests on C-17 or C-130 cargo planes later in 2019.
