Lasers!
We can fire them into the clouds and they can summon the lightning! (says infoniac.com).
And we can fire them at each other and destroy buildings, machines and people! (says Boeing).
infoniac.com:
The beams send from the laser made channels of ionized molecules, also known as “filaments.” Before the lighting strikes earth the filaments lead electricity through the clouds, playing the role of lightning rods.Researchers generated filaments that are too short-lived to trigger a real lightning strike. Nevertheless, a boost in electrical activity within the clouds was registered. According to the French and German scientists, the fast pulses sent from the laser will be able to provoke thunder strikes on demand.
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“This is the first laser that has terawatt power and is also mobile,” outlined André Mysyrowicz, a researcher working at the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Techniques Avancees, Paris, France.
Boeing:
In each laser firing at Boeing’s facility in West Hills, Calif., the high-energy laser achieved power levels of over 25 kilowatts for multi-second durations, with a measured beam quality suitable for a tactical weapon system.
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A high-power solid-state laser will damage, disable or destroy targets at the speed of light, with little to no collateral damage, supporting missions on the battlefield and in urban operations.