Pentagon's Top R&D Chief Throws Cold Water On Laser Missile Defense Aspirations
The senior official said he is "extremely skeptical" that an aircraft could carry a sufficiently powerful laser to get the job done.
By Joseph TrevithickMay 20, 2020
The War Zone
The Pentagon's top official in charge of overseeing advanced research and development activities has said he does not believe it is feasible, at least at present, for an aircraft to carry a laser that would be sufficiently powerful to shoot down "an adversary missile." Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin appeared to be speaking about ongoing work on drones equipped with laser directed energy weapons for ballistic missile defense, raising questions about whether those efforts have hit significant hurdles.
Aviation Week's Defense Editor and good friend of The War Zone Steve Trimble posted the comments from Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin on Twitter on May 20, 2020. Griffin had disclosed these details at the Washington Space Business Roundtable, which is being held this year via a remote video conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/33584/pentagons-top-rd-chief-throws-cold-water-on-laser-missile-defense-aspirations
