Ground-based laser weapon:

In 1991 the US military tested a ground-based laser by successfully shooting down a single-engine aircraft. The combustion-powered laser, the most powerful laser in existence, literally severed the aircraft in two, the front end falling free from the rest of the fuselage. The video of the test was aired on CNN.

In 1995 the ground-based laser successfully targeted, but did not destroy, an orbiting military satellite. In 1998 the concept of the airborne laser was published in Popular Science Magazine. A specially-modified Hercules aircraft was to patrol the borders of hostile countries and track the plumes of Scud missile launches. The strategy was to be able to shoot the missile down the instant it was detected - while still on the launch pad, or ***very shortly after takeoff***.

I wonder if submarines could be equipped with such a weapon? It could sit and wait in a harbor of a major city and target overflying aircraft on approach or after takeoff from international airports. It would only have to surface for a few minutes before submerging again. The most likely target area on the aircraft would be right dead center on the underside of the main wing, igniting fuel, and compromising the airframe.

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