Solid State Laser News

Photonic lanterns 3D printed to be part of a laser
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-3d-photonic-lanterns-combine-multimode.html
A ski jump for light
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-photonic-efficiently-free-space.htmlhttps://hackaday.com/2026/04/14/ski-slopes-for-laser-imaging/
Waste glass to fiber
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-upcycles-glass-sic-nanowires-seconds.html
Light combs
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-roadmap.html
Night vision
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-night-vision-ai-tuned-vo.htmlhttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-biohybrid-image-sensor-based-electrolyte.html
Chern device
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-scientists-free-electric-currents.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-molecular-catapult-electrons-limits-physics.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-rays-optical-track-speedy-electrons.html
Light matter and sound
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-acoustic-enables-condensation-chip.html
Other news
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-laser-driven-photonic-crystals.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-nanosecond-liquid-crystal-droplet.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-solid-fluid-materials-reconfigure-entire.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-bioinspired-event-camera-tracks-full.htmlhttps://www.nextbigfuture.com/2026/03/combat-lasers-versus-mirrored-drones-and-dusty-days.htmlhttps://www.nextbigfuture.com/2026/03/israel-fully-operational-100-kilowatt-iron-beam-lasers.htmlhttps://www.nextbigfuture.com/2026/...ers-shooting-down-drones-in-the-iran-war.html
Resto

Monster

DIY
 
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Attached image from Elbit's investors conference showing laser modules developed for helicopters (STING HEL) and fixed wing aircraft (XCALIBUR HEL).

In the context of Israel's HEL development, Rafael is a prime contractor for ground based solutions, and Elbit is a prime for aerial solutions.
 

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Sh!t just got real yo!
Forest Green said:

Pentagon’s Megawatt Laser Demo To Highlight Recent Tech Breakthroughs​

https://aviationweek.com/defense/mi...aser-demo-highlight-recent-tech-breakthroughs
nLight megawatt demonstration scheduled for this year

Demonstrate a 1-megawatt-class laser made by nLight, which is capable of shooting down ballistic and hypersonic missiles.

https://www.nlight.net/directed-energy
In addition to scaling to 1 MW this laser will develop advanced adaptive optics for atmospheric correction.
Click to expand...

Looking at the size of the spot on target (half radius, quarter area), the nLight 1MW laser could be 8x more effective than the 500kW LM laser.
1773756345297.png
Click to expand...
 
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X-Ray lasers find a critical point in water:
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ray-lasers-enable-discovery-critical.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-hidden-features-rays-radically.html
The paper
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec0018
Electron microscopy
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-electron-microscopy-materials-insights.html
Optics
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-diode-memory-smart-cameras.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-generation-optical-sensor-photon-uv.htmlhttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-photonic-chip-packaging-extreme-environments.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-quantum-needle-haystack-filtering-method.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-quantum-extremely-precise-phonon-lasers.html
Small lasers
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-microlasers-capable-individual-molecules-ions.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-stabilized-laser-components-quantum-room.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-masterpiece-laser-scans-ai-layers.htmlhttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-gel-boosts-ion.html
Bigger
https://hackaday.com/2026/03/27/laser-welding-helps-youtuber-get-ahead-with-aluminum-sheet/https://hackaday.com/2026/03/26/3d-print-becomes-cast-iron-wrench-via-microwave/
The "ellipton" was supposed to combine sound and other directed energies...I thought it legend...same with the discombobulator.

Now, I am not so sure:

Twisted light
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-chiral-metasurfaces-free-space.html
Laser racetrack?
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-racetrack-lasers-bright-stable-frequency.html
Combine with?
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-desktop-particle-realms.html
Laser drawing
https://hackaday.com/2026/04/01/drawing-tablet-controls-laser-in-real-time/
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nuUFdCtVGsk


Optical wireless
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-faster-greener-wireless-indoors.html
 
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publiusr said:
X-Ray lasers find a critical point in water:
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ray-lasers-enable-discovery-critical.html
The paper
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec0018
The "ellipton" was supposed to combine sound and other directed energies...I thought it legend...same with the discombobulator.

Now, I am not so sure:
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q8RzZQcOYoA
Click to expand...
Sabine Hossenfelder's video on "Controlled Lightning" is reporting on studies that are a couple of years old and which we already discussed in early 2025 in this forum.
 
Help for high-energy research
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-method-neural-networks-faster-propagation.htmlhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1007570426002856?via=ihub
Laser propulsion demonstrated
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-parabolic-flight-lasers-propel-graphene.htmlhttps://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.75050
Bottle beams
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-compact-flat-lens-generate-nondiffracting.html
Bulk silicon as a light emitter
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-momentum-photonic-states-bulk-silicon.htmlhttps://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6c00596
Optics
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-shot-imaging-captures-ultrafast-microscopic.htmlhttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-ultra-thin-camera-degree-view.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-mess-breakthrough-chaotic-generation.html
Microscope
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-shot-imaging-captures-ultrafast-microscopic.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-detector-triples-electron-camera-enabling.html
Table-top accelerators and CT
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-desktop-particle-realms.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-dual-frequency-paul-potential-antihydrogen.html
 
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You know the planet is in a mess when reporters covering high energy physics sound like TMZ nightcrawlers or war correspondents:
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-copper-blasted-million-degree-plasma.html
I still haven't recovered... it's quantum day, so..."commence to jiggling" BUT THEN, this awful laser strike...I'm never going to twerk again... these guilty buns have got no rhythm....I'm going somewhere safe...like Mumbai

Any color you like
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-wavelength-lasers-tiny-circuits.html
Flat optics
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-flat-optics-metalens-production.htmlA collaborative research group has developed a fully automated roll-to-roll manufacturing platform capable of producing large-area visible metalenses at a rate of 300 units per second, marking a major breakthrough in translating metasurface technology from the laboratory to real-world industrial deployment.

For glasses
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-chip-advance-ar-glasses-boost.htmlResearchers at The University of Osaka, in collaboration with ULVAC, Inc. and Ritsumeikan University, have developed a new LED structure that generates circularly polarized light from a single chip.

X-rays
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-distant-gamma-ray-explosions-precisely.htmlIn the Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems, researchers recently addressed this challenge by developing a practical method to align lobster-eye X-ray optics for space telescopes. The team led by Hatsune Goto from Kanazawa University, Japan, designed and tested an alignment strategy for EAGLE, the wide-field X-ray monitor planned for the HiZ-GUNDAM mission.

EAGLE uses devices called Micro Pore Optics (MPOs), which are thin glass plates with microscopic channels. When X-rays enter at a shallow angle, they reflect off the channel walls and focus onto a detector, forming a distinctive cross-shaped image. The position of that cross tells astronomers where in the sky the X-rays came from.

https://phys.org/news/2026-04-generation-ct-scanner-reveal-year.htmlEgyptian mummy remains were examined at Semmelweis University's Medical Imaging Center (OKK). The archaeological finds arriving from the Semmelweis Museum of Medical History, Hungarian National Museum Public Collection Center (MNMKK) were analyzed using the institution's newest CT scanner equipped with a photon-counting detector. Thanks to state-of-the-art imaging technology, highly detailed images have been captured that were previously unavailable, and the initial results promise significant scientific advances.
 
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Mystery solved?
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mathematical-decades-puzzle-involving-ultrafast.htmlhttps://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/rk2z-ymkn
Zappy the Rooster
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ive-america-powerful-lasers-shot.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-tiny-voids-fusion-stable-powerful.html
Short pulser
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ultrashort-laser-pulses-power-electron.html
Odd
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hidden-property-power-future-nanomachines.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-blob-tank-scientists-secrets-turbulence.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-multitasking-quantum-sensors-properties.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-diamond-path-ultra-precise-quantum.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-pressure-tuned-quantum-liquid-behavior.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-laser-flip-nanoscale-magnetic-vortices.html
Sensor
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-fog-generation-infrared-image-sensor.html
 
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A box ...they invented...a box.

It's supposed to look like this!
https://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/modern_props/console-mp21-brideofchaotica.jpghttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147761/mediaviewer/rm1459550465/?ref_=tt_ov_i
If nothing else, put a raygun prop out on the deck to draw drone fire and aim the €¥®! box out a porthole!

America's top laser weapon...a box on a pallet.... really?

Weird...
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-laser-black-holes-extreme-physics.html
Light concentration
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-tiny-particles-boost-terahertz-technology.html
Clock
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-physicists-revive-1990s-laser-concept.html
 
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publiusr said:
A box ...they invented...a box.

It's supposed to look like this!
https://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/modern_props/console-mp21-brideofchaotica.jpghttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147761/mediaviewer/rm1459550465/?ref_=tt_ov_i
If nothing else, put a raygun prop out on the deck to draw drone fire and aim the €¥®! box out a porthole!

America's top laser weapon...a box on a pallet.... really?

Weird...
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-laser-black-holes-extreme-physics.html
Click to expand...
These palletized lasers in a box are designed to operate in the real world, not in a cheesy sci-fi show. Palletized laser weapon systems in a box are designed to provide a rapidly deployable, modular, and cost-effective defense against the proliferation of low-cost threats. The palletized box approach allows these systems to be transported easily and mounted on various platforms—including pickup trucks, trailers, ships or fixed sites—offering a "plug-and-play" capability for immediate, on-site protection of critical infrastructure and personnel. They allow military units to move, install, and operate laser defense in varied, austere environments.

Although it would be cool if the laser weapons were more sci-fi looking, it is more important in the real world that they be deployable, integratable, reliable, maintainable, manufacturable, robust and cost-effective, all of which are provided by the palletized box design.
 
The wording there makes you think of a weapon strike---that was a lasercomm achievement.

In directed energy advances...
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-route-plasma-based-particle.htmlhttps://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/v341-6sgnhttps://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/w9yj-4hh5
Could that be combined with other tech?
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/955643https://www.npl.washington.edu/av/altvw85.html
BECs, moving mirrors...I am starting to wonder if that Death Star beam combining might work after all.
 
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MadRat said:

Chinese Orbiter Pulverizes Starlink with a 2-Watt Laser Beam Fired from 36,000KM Above Earth​

https://indiandefencereview.com/chinese-satellite-laser-downlink-beats-starlink/#google_vignette
Click to expand...
I hate the clickbait title and hyperbolic language of the article, but if you look passed that BS, the Chinese did accomplish an impressive engineering demonstration that brought together well-known technologies and techniques in the fields of optical communications and atmospheric propagation of lasers.
 
publiusr said:
The wording there makes you think of a weapon strike---that was a lasercomm achievement.

In directed energy advances...
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-route-plasma-based-particle.htmlhttps://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/v341-6sgnhttps://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/w9yj-4hh5
Could that be combined with other tech?
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/955643https://www.npl.washington.edu/av/altvw85.html
BECs, moving mirrors...I am starting to wonder if that Death Star beam combining might work after all.
Click to expand...
I doubt that the plasma-based particle accelerators and relativistic mirror technology could be combined with Bose Einstein Condensate (BEC) atom lasers because the former relies on the interaction of charged particles and electromagnetic waves, and the latter requires neutral atoms because BECs require neutral, ultracold bosons that occupy the same lowest quantum state. BECs cannot be formed using charged atoms, i.e., ions, since they repel one another, making collections of ions difficult to cool to the ultracold temperatures required for BECs.

A possible work around, would be the use of ions embedded in a BEC that form "molecular ions" as discussed in the article at the following link: https://physics.aps.org/story/v10/st8 This was theoretical work in 2002. A Google search indicates that formation of molecular ions in a BEC have been experimentally verified since then. However, the interaction of the molecular ions in the BEC with electromagnetic waves has been used to separate the ions from the neutral BEC atoms rather than accelerate the BEC along with the molecular ions.

As to the Star Wars Death Star beam combining, that concept is already being used in modern laser weapons. The Death Star weapon is termed a "composite beam superlaser," which converges multiple laser beams into one. In modern optical fiber based laser weapons, the laser beams from lower power fiber lasers are combined into a single high power laser output. Two main methods of laser beam combining are used. Some weapons use spectral beam combining, which combines lasers at slightly different wavelengths into a single beam. Some weapons use coherent beam combining, which synchronizes the optical phases of several fiber laser emitters at the same wavelength so that their combined beams behave as a single, more powerful coherent laser beam.
 
The fibers are akin to rail-lines.

I seem to remember...I don't know if it was a BEC, but something that could delay a beam, then release it. Above I linked to an 8 hour firing.

I am trying to rack my brain as to how that output over time could be compacted somehow....a caseless round... something..that is to lasers what a dewar is to nukes.

Photonic chip
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-photonic-chip-generates-milliwatt-uv.html
Light propulsion
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-powered-propulsion-space-exploration-possibilities.html
 
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publiusr said:
The fibers are akin to rail-lines.

I seem to remember...I don't know if it was a BEC, but something that could delay a beam, then release it. Above I linked to an 8 hour firing.

I am trying to rack my brain as to how that output over time could be compacted somehow....a caseless round... something..that is to lasers what a dewar is to nukes.

Light propulsion
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-powered-propulsion-space-exploration-possibilities.html
Click to expand...
Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) are used to dramatically slow light to bicycle speeds (approx. 17 m/s) or stop it entirely by manipulating atomic energy states in ultracold, quantum-degenerate gas, typically of rubidium or sodium atoms. Pioneered by Dr. Lene Hau in 1999–2001, this technique employs Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) to render the opaque medium transparent, allowing a light pulse to be compressed and stored in the atomic spin states of the BEC, and later released intact.

When the light pulse enters the dense BEC medium, it is compressed from roughly 1 to 2 miles in length down to less than 0.001 micron.

Light storage in a BEC for up to about a second has been demonstrated, but with storage time dependent losses in energy and fidelity. See https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.233602

See https://www.spie.org/news/behind-th...speed of light,the speed of light in a vacuum. and https://www.facebook.com/groups/930540941927100/posts/1249151793399345/ and
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK6HxdUQm5s
 
publiusr said:
The fibers are akin to rail-lines.

I seem to remember...I don't know if it was a BEC, but something that could delay a beam, then release it. Above I linked to an 8 hour firing.

I am trying to rack my brain as to how that output over time could be compacted somehow....a caseless round... something..that is to lasers what a dewar is to nukes.

Photonic chip
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-photonic-chip-generates-milliwatt-uv.html
Light propulsion
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-powered-propulsion-space-exploration-possibilities.html
Click to expand...
In response to your statement "The fibers are akin to rail-lines" I point out that in modern fiber-based laser weapons, the beam combining that creates the high-power output beam occurs outside of the fibers in free space. While the amplification of the laser light happens inside specialized optical fibers, the final combination of these individual beams into a single high-power beam requires external optics and beam paths because the final power/energy if confined to the size of a fiber would be far above the thresholds of nonlinear optical losses and damage in a fiber, which is why the weapon requires using multiple lower power fiber lasers instead of single high power fiber laser in the first place.
 
Sail?
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-powered-propulsion-space-exploration-possibilities.html
Of use?
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-invisible-device-disturb-metamaterial-shell.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-generalized-optical-meta-spanners-empower.html
Perhaps that all can help beaming

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-body-ultrasound-captures-full-sections.htmlhttps://sciencex.com/news/2026-04-ct-scan-400pound-crocodile.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-high-resolution-imaging-nanoscale-nuclear.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-ray-photons-reveal-hidden-interactions.htmlhttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-motion-sensor-captures-ultra-high.html
On those fibers
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-surface-ultra-thin-optical-fibers.html
Pencil beam
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-pencil-laser-scientists-brain-therapies.html
 
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ThinKom Solutions, headquartered in Hawthorne, California, announced its entrance into the High Power Microwave directed energy weapons market in August 2025, developing systems for counter-UAS, Integrated Air and Missile Defense, and other counter-electronic missions. The move was not a pivot so much as an extension — the company spent more than two decades building phased array antenna systems for satellite communications, and the core technology behind those systems, a proprietary design called VICTS, turns out to be unusually well suited for handling the extreme power levels that High Power Microwave weapons demand. ThinKom has already proven its VICTS phased arrays to gigawatt-level power handling in development and testing.

The image that accompanied the CDF CFWE reporting tells the story efficiently: a VICTS-based HPM system, finished in military olive drab, mounted on the flatbed of a standard pickup truck in an open field. No trailer. No generator the size of a shipping container. No dedicated vehicle or specialized chassis. A truck, a system, and the ability to move.
Click to expand...

https://defence-blog.com/thinkoms-truck-mounted-microwave-gun-fries-drones-at-u-s-army-test/
 
TomcatViP said:




https://defence-blog.com/thinkoms-truck-mounted-microwave-gun-fries-drones-at-u-s-army-test/
Click to expand...
The article is very intereting since HPM systems would be a great weapon against drone swarms if they can defeat the drones at sufficient standoff range in a reasonable dwell time with a reasonable prime power draw. However, the article does not mention any of these mission performance metrics for the system, nor does it give any information on how the Thinkom system actually performed at the U.S. Army’s recent Cross Domain Fires Concept Focused Warfighting Experiment in which the system participated.

It is also interesting that Thinkom's HPM system is based on an innovative combination of the "old school" technologies of mechanically steered elements and vacuum electronics "which allows it to handle significantly higher peak power without the thermal and efficiency penalties that electronically scanned arrays suffer at extreme power levels" and "to achieve what it describes as best-in-breed power density in a compact, steerable, low-profile package."

As the Peter Allen song "Everything Old Is New Again" from the 1979 movie "All That Jazz" says, "Let's go backward when forward fails...Don't throw the past away. You might need it some rainy day."
 
bcredman said:
It is also interesting that Thinkom's HPM system is based on an innovative combination of the "old school" technologies of mechanically steered elements...
Click to expand...

On slewing--
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69286.php

Ceramic capacitors
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69288.php

Light control
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69292.php

For scans
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69293.php

While the Sonnengewehr is no good offensively, might reflectors that beam light to ground based solar farms also have a dazzler use?

Airship reflects light down, or focuses beams from space to dazzle drones?

You asked about how light caused direct evaporation...water has other secrets:
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69299.php

Laser heat use
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69254.php

Chip light
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69275.php
 
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publiusr said:
On slewing--
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69286.php

Ceramic capacitors
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69288.php

Light control
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69292.php

For scans
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69293.php

While the Sonnengewehr is no good offensively, might reflectors that beam light to ground based solar farms also have a dazzler use?

Airship reflects light down, or focuses beams from space to dazzle drones?

You asked about how light caused direct evaporation...water has other secrets:
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69299.php

Laser heat use
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69254.php

Chip light
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69275.php
Click to expand...
Thanks for the interesting articles.

As for beaming light from space to ground for dazzler applications, it might be workable, but for dazzling, the drone's optical sensors need to be looking in the direction of the light source so the final reflector directing the light beam at the drone needs to be in the field-of-view of the drone's optical sensors. Since the drone's optical sensors would usually be looking at either the drone's target in order to home in on it, or at the ground for navigation when further away from the drone's target, the final reflector would need to be on or near (in angular offset) to the drone's target or on the ground close to the drone's flight path projected onto the ground.

Related to your idea is the Russian Znamya project to light up areas of the Earth using mirrors in space. A series of orbital experiments were conducted by Russia in the 1990s. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Znamya_(satellite) :

  • Znamya 2 (1993): The first successful test utilized a 20-meter wide aluminized Mylar mirror deployed from a Progress supply craft. It reflected a beam of sunlight that created a 5 km wide "bright spot" with the luminosity of a full moon, which swept across Europe at 8 km/s.
  • Znamya 2.5 (1999): This follow-up aimed for a larger 25-meter mirror with the brightness of five to ten full moons. However, the mirror caught on a Mir space station antenna during deployment and ripped, leading to the project's cancellation.
  • Znamya 3: A planned 60–70 meter mirror was never built due to the failure of Znamya 2.5 and subsequent lack of funding
A California-based startup called Reflect Orbital is currently proposing a "sunlight on demand" service:

  • Scale: They envision a constellation of up to 50,000 satellites equipped with square reflectors to provide precision lighting to specific locations, such as solar farms to extend power generation hours.
  • Military and Emergency Use: Beyond commercial applications, the company cites defense operations, search-and-rescue missions, and illuminating disaster zones as potential use cases.
  • Timeline: Their first prototype, EARENDIL-1, is slated for a test launch as early as 2026.
 
What orbital assets do is to leverage resources and high altitudes, as opposed to wrestling in the muck, as it were.
 
publiusr said:
What orbital assets do is to leverage resources and high altitudes, as opposed to wrestling in the muck, as it were.
Click to expand...
Yes, but typically for a much higher cost for orbital assets than for comparable terrestrial assets, which is an important consideration for anti-drone weapons since one of the main arguments for using laser dazzlers and weapons against relatively inexpensive drones is because a conventional missile interceptor is so much more expensive per shot than the drone that it destroys. Thus, basing anti-drone weapons on orbital assets may not be cost effective compared to terrestrial, airborne or shipborne DEWs unless the orbital assets are already in place and being funded and used for other purposes when not being used for defense as with the Reflect Orbital "sunlight on demand" concept.
 
Multi-use infrastructure means that defense assets can support other things.

Fighters and ships can't power the shore, or probes.

Paying for Ford class carriers means solar sails get cut. But a space centric approach means each tax dollar is multi-use. Sea Dragon could help shipyards when subs aren't being built.

Lasers
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-laser-plasma-polarization-helium-ions.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-xxp-instrument-online-key-milestone.html

Comm tech
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-stacked-intelligent-surfaces-boost-wireless.html

Radar
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-wingbeat-radar-signatures-ai-bees.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-sentinel-1d-milestone-europe-radar.html
 
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