Naval News has reported that General Atomics is working on a joint programme within the United States Department of Defense that is looking to deliver airborne laser weapons to the MQ-9 fleet currently fielded in the US Air Force and US Marine Corps.
The publication said a spokesperson had “confirmed the existence of a programme that is looking to add a new air-to-air laser weapon to the MQ-9 family; part of a joint programme that is looking to deliver an airborne laser to provide a persistent counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAS) presence to the battlespace.”
The article added that while a full test with a flying laser has not been completed, all components have been tested on the ground.
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