The New Laser That Can Take Down Aircraft (Oh F*** off!)

[applegrove]

The New Laser That Can Take Down Aircraft

February 11, 2026 at 9:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 42 Comments

https://politicalwire.com/2026/02/11/the-new-laser-that-can-take-down-aircraft/

Simon Shuster: “If you’ve never seen a laser shoot an aircraft out of the sky, the experience can be unsettling. The weapon fits comfortably into the trunk of a car. It makes no noise and emits no light, not even the glowing red beam that’s so familiar from the movies. When a team of Ukrainian soldiers and engineers took me to see their prototype the other day, it seemed easy to use. Almost too easy.”

“The operator set up the laser cannon on the roof of his pickup truck in the middle of an empty field. It resembles a hobbyist’s telescope with some cameras affixed to the sides. For target practice, one of the engineers launched a small drone, and it flew a few hundred yards away from us, hovering in the gauzy winter sky. The laser swiveled as its cameras followed the target. The operator shouted, ‘Fire!’ Within seconds, the drone began to burn as if struck by invisible lightning, then fell to the ground in a fiery arc.”

[hlthe2b]

1. Oh, gawd. We humans are determined to self-destruct, it seems

[harumph]

2. Some lasers can damage the electronics or otherwise disrupt (baby) drone functions

However, that is a far cry from taking out a Predator, Reaper or some other (serious) aircraft. Such a thing could
not "fit in a trunk."

[Melon]

3. Knowing what we do about drones, it doesn't

Look possible to take them down en mass via normal anti aircraft. Just a drone show in China can use 10,000 drones. The next level of warfare may see the same number flying into ships etc and overwhelming air defense. I believe the UK announced last month deployment of their new Dragonfire laser air defense system for the same.

[Igel]

8. Israeli test fired theirs to some fanfare last fall. n/t

[SocialDemocrat61]

4. Laser or phaser?

[Endlessmike56]

6. I prefer photon torpedoes

[SocialDemocrat61]

7. OK

[Melon]

5. China has mosquito air defense