Salty Cracker and Wall Street Apes are now insinuating it. The op was a success, they've created a narrative binary where either space lasers did it or climate change (MSM narrative) did it. Meanwhile the much more likely story (strategic arson ahead of high winds + collusion with crooked state and local officials to mishandle the response on purpose) has effectively been shoved under the rug. Now instead of having the entire internet digging into that to possibly find some arsonists or conspiracies to mishandle response, they are instead "laser focused" on space lasers.
Of course, if the DEW theory is correct, this is fine. I just don't think it is.
endrant
You are very credulous. The only lasers on planes in that video were cartoons. Their only comments about airborne applications were in the future tense. The piece of podded hardware was, in all likelihood, a targeting laser pod for missiles homing on a laser-designated target (paint the target and home on the signal).
If you saw Google images of the YAL-1A Airborne Laser, realize that it is now scattered into parts. The program was canceled and the system was scrapped. You have this idea that "the pubic is decades behind what has already been built," but I doubt you can back that up with any evidence. The Corona and successor programs might be the only example. The Airborne Laser was known from the beginning.
It's not a matter of me "thinking" anything about 50 years ago versus now. I was there. I was working in the field. They were experimenting 50 years ago and it has taken this much time to get where we are. The fundamental technology has gone through about 5 generations by now.
The China system blinds sensors. That takes a far lower power level than a hard kill. A satellite couldn't afford to mount such a system (weight and power) and it wouldn't have any thermal weapon effects on other objects.
Elon spends that much money for internet access. It's not just him, either. Everybody wants in on the action. Lots of plans for huge constellations. Your flight of fancy ("no one spends that kind of money...") is refuted by the facts.
Nothing is being "leaked" to the public. Such DEWs as we have are out in the open. But you have to be attentive and quick to pick up on what is going on. No "slow and obvious"---it is all fast and obvious.