Lockheed: Lasers are Ready to be Deployed as Weapons

For years, the Pentagon has pursued the dream of directed energy weaponry — laser weapons that could defeat a foe for pennies when compared with the expensive kinetic weapons the department relies on. And for years, the technology proved to be elusive.

But the time has finally come where those weapons are capable of being fielded, according to a trio of Lockheed Martin executives who work on the development of the company’s laser arsenal.

“The technologies now exist,” said Paul Shattuck, company director for Directed Energy Systems. “They can be packaged into a size, weight, power and thermal which can be fit onto relevant tactical platforms, whether it’s a ship, whether it’s a ground vehicle or whether it’s an airborne platform.

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