Drone-B-Gone: Boeing working on anti-drone laser cannon

Jacob Nierenberg

Jacob Nierenberg Jun 20, 2025

Jan 12, 2018

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                <h1>Drone-B-Gone: Boeing working on anti-drone laser cannon</h1>
                <h2><p>In the past few months, civilian drones have been responsible for a number of confusing incidents, namely freaking out the White House and delaying firefighter response to wildfires. Fortunately for mankind, Boeing is in the testing stages of an anti-drone laser cannon, Wired reports. The machine effectively works like a</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/jacob-nierenberg-crosscut-com/">Jacob Nierenberg</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Jan 12, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>In the past few months, civilian drones have been responsible for a number of confusing incidents, namely <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/14/politics/white-house-drone-arrest/?ref=avalancheghost.one">freaking out the White House</a> and <a href="http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Drones-Delayed-North-Fire-Response-Officials-316615691.html?ref=avalancheghost.one">delaying firefighter response to wildfires</a>. Fortunately for mankind, Boeing is in the testing stages of an anti-drone laser cannon, <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/08/welcome-world-drone-killing-laser-cannon/?ref=avalancheghost.one">Wired reports</a>. The machine effectively works like a magnifying glass, burning a hole in the infernal flying things and bringing them down—either mostly intact or in a ball of flame, depending on what the operator thinks the drone is up to. Yes, it’s as cool as it sounds, and you can watch with devilish glee <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijp3-zjTIp0&ref=avalancheghost.one">here</a>, courtesy of Boeing.</p>
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In the past few months, civilian drones have been responsible for a number of confusing incidents, namely freaking out the White House and delaying firefighter response to wildfires. Fortunately for mankind, Boeing is in the testing stages of an anti-drone laser cannon, Wired reports. The machine effectively works like a magnifying glass, burning a hole in the infernal flying things and bringing them down—either mostly intact or in a ball of flame, depending on what the operator thinks the drone is up to. Yes, it’s as cool as it sounds, and you can watch with devilish glee here, courtesy of Boeing.

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By Jacob Nierenberg

Jacob Nierenberg is an editorial intern at Crosscut. He has lived in Washington for nearly all of his life, and still proudly identifies with the Pacific Northwest despite his relocation to Stanford U