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Deep & Emerging Tech·September 3, 2026·1 min read

The US Army used a laser weapon on American soil, then bought it

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Live-fire tests of a high-energy laser on US soil followed by a $464.8M production contract shows directed-energy defenses against drones are moving from demo to procurement. Defense and critical-infrastructure operators should assume low-cost drones will face increasingly automated, software-defined countermeasures at the edge.