Laser Cannons

Laser Cannons are very common in the Star Wars universe and now they might become reality:

Boeing raygunship fires first blasts in ground testing

“US airliners’n’armaments colossus Boeing announced today that one of its prototype aerial laser cannon planes has fired its first energy bolts in ground testing. “First firing of the high-energy laser aboard the ATL aircraft shows that the program continues to make good progress,” said Boeing blast-cannon biz boss Scott Fancher.

The so-called Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) programme is one of two flying raygun projects underway at Boeing. The other is the Airborne Laser, or ABL, a monstrous jumbo-jet mounted energy ray intended to disintegrate threatening nuclear missiles from hundreds of kilometres away. Both ATL and ABL use toxic chemical fuels to generate higher-intensity laser beams than can currently be produced by electric equipment.”