The first laser weapon for a fighter jet has been delivered to the U.S. Air Force:    The Air Force has received a high-energy laser weapon that could be carried by aircraft in podded form. The news came today (7/13/2022) when Lockheed Martin disclosed that at least one of the weapons, which it developed, has been delivered to the Air Force for test work. This effort falls within the framework of still-evolving plans to have laser-armed fighter jets that can engage enemy missiles, and possibly other targets too.              A report today from Breaking Defense confirmed that Lockheed Martin delivered its LANCE high-energy laser weapon to the Air Force in February this year.  In this context, LANCE stands for "Laser Advancements for Next generation Compact Environments."  The recipient for the new weapon is the Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, which is charged with developing and integrating new technologies in the air, space and cyberspace realms.  We don't know what kind of power LANCE can produce although there have been suggestions it will likely be below 100 kilowatts.  SHiELD - is a collaborative effort that brings together Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman.         While Lockheed Martin provides the actual laser weapon, in the form of LANCE, Boeing produces the pod that carries it, and Northrop Grumman is responsible for the beam control system that puts the laser into its target-and then keeps it there.  Lockheed's Tyler Griffin added that the next stage in the program would see LANCE integrated with a thermal system to manage heating and cooling.  And that "a variety of potential applications and platforms are being considered for potential demonstrations and tests."        Boeing flew a pre-prototype pod shape-without its internal subsystems-aboard an Air Force F-15 fighter in 2019.  During ground tests, meanwhile, a representative laser, known as the Demonstrator Laser Weapon System (DLWS), has already successfully shot down multiple air-launched missiles over White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, in 2019.  In 2020, Lockheed Martin said it was planning to have one of its lasers flying on tactical fighters by 2025.       In the meantime, Air Force pilots have already been flying simulated missions with podded airborne laser weapons in a virtual reality battlefielf environment.       There are disadvantages to laser defense systems, too, however, including a lack of resiliance to atmospheric conditions, which could have an adverse effect on the range and power of the directed-energy beam.  Then there is the ability of a laser to only engage a single target at a time, meaning that it would likely complement rather than replace existing decoys and other countermeasures once in service.                    Ultimately, however, a fully mature high-energy laser weapon could actually be used for a variety of roles beyond the defense of aircraft against missiles.  Potentually, it could become an offensive weapon, too, engaging hostile aircraft during within-visual-range air-combat, swatting down cruise missiles, or even attacking targets on the ground.  The delivery of LANCE earlier this year is clearly a major milestone toward realizing a functional fighter-based laser weapon.