Are there any laser weapons portable enough to use (either on a vehicle or a ship if the balloon is near the cost)?
I have read about lasers that are used against missiles and planes. I imagine that the balloon would be more fragile. Could it be hurt even if the laser has lost energy due to the high altitude?
The YAL-1 with it's Mega Watt laser may have been able to burn a significant hole in the envelope, but it was retired in 2014: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_YAL-1
I have read about lasers that are used against missiles and planes. I imagine that the balloon would be more fragile. Could it be hurt even if the laser has lost energy due to the high altitude?