Russia is currently developing a plane with a new-generation laser weapon, a source in the Russian defense and industrial sector told TASS.

"Work on a new-generation airborne laser weapon is currently under way," the source said.

According to the source, the talk is about a plane called A-60 by open sources.

Media outlets reported earlier that the plane was being developed as part of the Sokol-Echelon R&D work.

Attempts to develop an airborne laser were made in the Soviet period. The first A-60 plane developed on the basis of the Ilyushin Il-76MD (NATO reporting name: Candid) aircraft performed the first flight in 1981.

Media outlets reported several years ago that the work on the project had been resumed.

The United States worked on an airborne laser too. However, in late 2011, the program, under which an experimental Boeing YAL-1 warplane was developed, was curtailed.

Source: TASS