--- title: "The Air Force Wants to Arm Fighter Jets With Laser Weapons" description: "The U.S. Air Force wants to equip its fighter jets with defensive laser weapons as soon as the early 2020s." date: "2019-02-11" modified: "2019-02-11" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/air-force-f-35s-laser-weapons" categories: - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "air force" - "fighter jets" - "lasers" - "the digest" --- # The Air Force Wants to Arm Fighter Jets With Laser Weapons ![The U.S. Air Force wants to equip its fighter jets with defensive laser weapons as soon as the early 2020s.]() *\Image: The U.S. Air Force/Victor Tangermann\* ## Laser Jets In 2017, the U.S. Navy [revealed]() its the Laser Weapons System (LaWS), which the media referred to as the world's first active laser weapon — a futuristic turret mounted on a transport vessel. Now the U.S. Air Force wants to jump on the trend as well: it wants to equip its fighter jets — including the F-35 — with laser weapons by the early 2020s, [*The National Interest* reports](). ## Project SHIELD Earlier this month, the Pentagon released its 2019 Missile Defense Review, a document outlining its strategic plans on how to keep the U.S. safe from enemy missiles. The Review included plans for [equipping F-35 fighter jets with lasers]() that could shoot down enemy missiles in mid-air. Laser weapon technology is not new to the Air Force. The Air Force Research Lab has been leading the development effort for a number of years from the [Kirtland Air Force Base](). Its focus: "high power electromagnetics, weapons modeling and simulation, and directed energy and electro-optics," according to the base's official government website. The Research Lab has been conducting test-fires from the ground and is ramping up for upcoming tests that will take place during flight, according to *The National Interest*. ## Laser Vision One major program called [Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator]() (SHIELD) is looking to give fighter jets the ability to take down enemy aircraft by heating them up and incinerating them with a powerful on-board laser. A major advantage that laser systems could have over conventional weaponry, [according to *Wired*](), is the fact that enemy targets could be taken out without completely destroying them or risking civilian lives on the ground below. **READ MORE:** [Stealth Assassins: Could the Air Force Arm F-35s with Laser Weapons?]() \[*The National Interest*\] ***More on the Air Force: [The Military Wants to Use F-35s to Shoot Down Nuclear Missiles]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()