Lockheed’s "weapons grade" laser is obviously much different from the standard laser we’re familiar with. It’s a 30-kilowatt laser that combines many small spectral laser beams, each with its own wavelength, into one single "near-perfect" beam. It’s also the most powerful laser of its kind. Even better? It only utilizes about half the energy of standard lasers, another way of saying that it's twice as efficient. The idea is to place such a laser on aircraft, ships, and other military vehicles, and combining spectral beams results in a laser that travels farther than we've previously seen without nearly as much sensitivity to the atmosphere. With Lockheed expected to next create a 100-watt version of this laser, we can expect a weapon that is even better.