The Promise of Lasers

摘要

In 1976, Navy Secretary J. William Middendorf II was asked how the Navy was progressing on high-energy lasers designed to protect U.S. warships from enemy cruise missiles.Middendorf sighed, according to a Nov. 1,1976, report in Aviation Week & Space Technology, then responded, "We haven't moved ahead as fast as I would have liked."Two years later, perhaps spurred by Middendorf's impatience, Navy laser scientists shot down a highspeed missile as it flew across a California test range.