As a new conceptual weapon, the airborne laser weapon has attracted the attention of various military powers, with a great amount of research work. In this paper, the composition, the working principle and the characteristics of the airborne laser weapon system are reviewed, focusing on the operational application of the airborne laser weapon system. The key technology of the airborne laser weapon system and the technical problems which need to be solved are analyzed.

laser weapons  /  fiber laser  /  spectral beam combining  /  coherent combining