Science fiction weapons are just around the corner

The development of high-energy laser weapons has made enormous progress in recent years. What is still missing for the final step is the consistent will to introduce them.

The increasing complexity of modern conflict scenarios, combined with new technologies, has given rise to a large number of new weapon systems in recent years. Multi-layered trends and technological innovations have emerged, particularly in the area of weapons, which are increasingly rendering the development of established defence systems obsolete. Hypersonic missiles and hypersonic aircraft as well as small and micro aircraft (small Unmanned Aircraft System, sUAS) will expand the known threat spectrum in air defence in the future. New technologies are always accompanied by a multitude of new challenges in the introduction and operational use of such systems. However, on closer inspection, hypersonic missiles and sUAS are not completely new technologies. Rather, they are hybrid modifications that are made up of various evolutionary developments of systems already in use.