Blasting the air in front of hypersonic vehicles with lasers could unlock unprecedented speeds | The Drive

Two innovations being studied by the DoD research and development relates to combining the power of directed energy systems and hypersonic weapons. This unlocks opportunity for entirely new forms of aircraft design, propulsion, and control capable of evading or bypassing defenses with extreme speed. By combining advanced directed energy technology with the latest in hypersonic vehicle design, researchers laid the groundwork for systems designed to sheathe an entire vehicle in laser and/or microwave-induced plasma to drastically reduce drag.

Source: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/33859/blasting-the-air-in-front-of-hypersonic-vehicles-with-lasers-could-unlock-unprecedented-speeds?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB%2009.25.20&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief