Hypersonic weapon-enhanced gliders are far from DARPA's only scary technology in development.

Born out of Ronald Reagan's bungled Star Wars initiative, their High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS) carries a typically convulted title simplified by an acronym but essentially means equipping planes with lasers.

The rise of surface-to-air threats can be combated by manned and unmanned crafts using the speed and power of light in a 150 kilowatt weapon to strike ground-based enemies from the skies.

The laser beam's accuracy promises collateral damage to a minimum, despite the vision of the technology being lifted out of the pages of sci-fi comic books.