Pentagon wants $66 million to build 'laser drones' by 2020

The Pentagon is building drones mounted with lasers that can destroy enemy missiles before they have left the launch pad. The US Missile Defence Agency has requested $66 million (£48 million) in funding to continue the top-secret programme, with a plan to begin tests by 2020. Officials hope that innovative missile-intercepting technologies will help the US military to defend sites like Guam, Japan, and Hawaii from North Korean attacks. The Pentagon is building drones equipped with lasers that can destroy enemy missiles. With drones and other unmanned vehicles set to dominate battlefields of the future (artist's impression), the Pentagon has invested billions in the technology over the past decade Named Low Power Laser Demonstrator (LPLD), the project aims to build lasers that can be mounted on to a drone and used to take out missiles before they are a threat.