National Defense:

Armed forces around the world are expected to boost investment in directed energy weapons such as lasers and high-powered microwaves, over the next decade, as the technology matures, a new study forecasts.

The U.S. military more than doubled its spending on this capability between fiscal years 2017 and 2019, from $535 million to $1.1 billion. Other nations, such as China and Russia, are also investing in these types of systems, said a recent report from market analysis firm GlobalData titled, Directed Energy Weapons (Defense) — Thematic Research.

“Demand for directed energy weapons and investments is surging to billions [of dollars] every year,” said study author Nurettin Sevi, an aerospace, defense, and security analyst at GlobalData. “Military forces are seeking to launch and deploy effective DE weapons at the earliest opportunity.”

The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Missile Defense Agency are pursuing the technology for missions such as air-and-missile defense…

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