Directed Energy Weapons

In the United States, the Pentagon, DARPA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, United States Army Armament Research Development and Engineering Center, and the Naval Research Laboratory are researching directed-energy weapons to counter ballistic missiles, hypersonic cruise missiles, and hypersonic glide vehicles. These systems of missile defense are expected to come online no sooner than the mid to late-2020s.[3]

It is now 2025

UK government website

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-and-security-accelerator-dasa-open-call-for-innovation/ifa035-making-science-fiction-a-reality-future-directed-energy-weapons