I'll just leave this here, make of it what you want
I think it is interesting what Russian engineers can do with research that American engineers failed to do.
The Evil Empire is way ahead of the Russians and Chinese - the Military-Industrial complex only shows off it's technology decades after it's developed.
Example: the Blackbird only became publicly acknowledged years after it was retired and replaced.
@Heresiarch I wonder how many Air Force fighters are already equipped with airborne lasers.