Before you start updating your character sheets, please note: these are almost certainly not going to be hand-portable laser guns.
The Ministry of Defence is finalising the agreement of a £30 million contract with MBDA UK Ltd to produce a Laser Directed Energy Weapon Capability Demonstrator.
The project will assess innovative laser directed energy weapon technologies and approaches, culminating in a demonstration of the system in 2018/19.
The quotes from the British military and the Ministry of Defense are from naval and air guys, which suggests either missile interdiction or something out of Real Genius. …Which is turning out to be a bit dated in its villainy, no?