Sure, lasers have been around for over 20 years but in terms of sci-fi-style action of people shooting each other, that's a different matter. Anyway, check this out if you're in the mood. Boeing seems to be seeing YO JOE in their own special way...



http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/181905.asp

Boeing Advanced Tactical Laser aircraft damaged a moving ground vehicle in a Sept. 19 Air Force test, the company announced Tuesday.

"In this test, a directed energy weapon successfully demonstrated direct attack on a moving target," Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Missile Defense Systems' Directed Energy Systems unit, said in a news release. "ATL has now precisely targeted and engaged both stationary and moving targets, demonstrating the transformational versatility of this speed-of-light, ultra-precision engagement capability that will dramatically reduce collateral damage."

During the test, the C-130H aircraft took off from Kirtland Air Force Base, near Albuquerque, N.M., and fired a high-power chemical laser over White Sands Missile Range, hitting the unoccupied, remotely controlled vehicle and putting a hole in a fender. The system damaged an unoccupied stationary vehicle Aug. 30, in its first air-to-ground, high-power laser engagement of a tactically representative target.

The idea ultimately is to destroy, damage or disable targets on the battlefield and in urban operations with little to no collateral damage.


http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/181905.asp

The biggest problem with energy weapons is power consumption. We all know you can shoot a "spotter" beam 6-7 miles with about 8 "D" cell batteries, but to get the heat and focus to damage flesh and metal, you're talking SERIOUS power output. that's why they have to use Chemical Lasers. It's like a big one shot battery. Eventually the technology will come when disruptive lasers will no longer be a thing of Sci-Fi movies.

The Navy is also working on a Rail Gun. Hopefully that will pan out!

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you see this here 15 pound slug of (insert heavy metal used in ammo)?

Well let's slingshot it through a bunch of magnets to get it moving at ultra highspeed WITHOUT using gunpowder or explosives.

(think the Deus Ex Machina cannon from Transformers 2 that was fired on uber-bot)

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Or think the movie ERASER. Tho I believe they interchange EM gun and RAIL gun as the same thing.

The rail gun was also used heavily in the Metal Gear Solid franchise of video games. On the Metal Gear itself it was the main component in firing the nuclear warheads. It was also used in MGS2 and MGS4 as personal weapons, like in Eraser.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_gun