2015年2月18日,美国防务内情网站刊登文章称,在“机载激光武器”(ABL)项目取消近3年后,美国国防部导弹防御局(MDA)在其2016财年预算中,通过“定向能研究”(DER)项目安排了高空无人机使用激光探测和拦截助推段弹道导弹的研究工作(译者注:原文如此,事实上,DER项目从2011财年即开始启动,至今每年都有投资或预算安排)。根据MDA提交的2016财年预算,2013财年为DER项目实际投资额度为2631.5万美元,2015财 On February 18, 2015, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency published an article saying that after nearly three years of abolition of the ABL program, the U.S. Defense Department’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA), in its fiscal 2016 budget, , The research project on the use of laser to detect and intercept booster-range ballistic missiles at high altitudes was arranged through the DER Project (Translator’s Note, in fact, Start up, every year since the investment or budget arrangements). According to the 2016 FY 2016 budget submitted by MDA, the actual investment amount for the DER project in FY13 was 26.315 million U.S. dollars.