The Pentagon is doubling down on laser weapons research

"The Pentagon wants to pour more than $2 billion into research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) programs involving high-energy laser weapons and other directed energy systems in fiscal year 2027."

"This funding, if approved, would not just mark a major increase over the more than $1 billion in annual expenditures on directed energy RDT&E over the last five years, but also significantly outpace the Pentagon's average yearly spending on such efforts under the Strategic Defense Initiative."

"Despite the Pentagon's stated goal of fielding laser weapons at scale within the next three years, the procurement section of the department's fiscal year 2027 budget request does not currently detail any major purchases to that end."

The U.S. Defense Department's fiscal year 2027 budget request indicates a significant increase in funding for directed energy weapons, proposing over $2 billion for research, development, testing, and evaluation. This amount surpasses the previous five years' annual expenditures of over $1 billion and exceeds historical spending under the Strategic Defense Initiative. However, the budget does not currently include major procurement plans for laser weapons, with the only procurement line item for directed energy systems being zeroed out.

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