Some of you might have read about this earlier. Raytheon's 50 kilowatt Laser Close-In Weapon System sucessfully shot down an un-manned aircraft from a ship. The laser was tied to the ship's Phalanx defense system. (See BBC article/video below)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10682693
There are pros and cons to this technology.
So the question, will this eventually replace bullets in future combat like how bullets replaced arrows and stones?
Will we see some kind of massive energy weapon(gigawatt range), like the Macross Cannon, in our lifetime?
Will this mean the end of gunpods for future fighter jets?