New World Vistas: Air and Space Power for the 21st Century — Directed Energy Volume
| Author | USAF Scientific Advisory Board |
|---|---|
| Published | 1995 |
| Format | Report |
TL;DR — The directed-energy volume of the US Air Force’s 1995 New World Vistas forecast, projecting laser and microwave weapons over 10, 20 and 30 years.
One of the roughly fifteen volumes of New World Vistas, the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board’s 1995 study of technologies for the next half-century. This scan is a library reference copy stamped by the Air Force Studies and Analyses Agency.
The abstract forecasts that airborne lasers for boost-phase missile defence and aircraft self-protection would come first, followed by space-based or space-relayed weapons, and that global reach with directed energy would “drive a new warfare paradigm.” The volume works through likely applications at 10, 20 and 30 years and the technologies the Air Force should fund to get there. It states it is a forecast, not sanctioned programmes or policy.
What it is: an official Air Force advisory study, unclassified. A forecast from 1995, so best read as a record of what the service expected.
Where this came from
- A copy saved in October 2026.
- Archived copy (Google Drive): Google Drive
89 pages. A PDF copy is held in Kyle’s private archive; it is not linked or shared here.