Top brass want the state-of-the-art weapon, which can defend ­military and civilian airfields, radar dishes and combat jets from enemy strikes. A source said: “The main drone threat is from China and Russia. The laser – called ATHENA, or Advanced Test High Energy Asset – has been developed by aerospace giant ­Lockheed Martin. Britain has already invested more than £130million in its own laser weapon programme. Two weeks ago it emerged more than 150 drone attacks had been launched in the UK in three years.

Source: Daily Mirror November 16, 2019 17:36 UTC