In 2022, Phi Phi island is open, and the beaches and other nearby islands are more beautiful than ever. The island looks quiet, and the majority of shops, restaurants and hotels are still closed. There are just a few visitors every day, locals and expats for most. You still can eat well, shop a bit and easily ride a longtail boat to the nearby islands and other beaches. In summary, the island is as beautiful, and nature is recovering nicely, but it is also sad to see so many shops closed and the empty dark streets after 9 pm. Like many pages on Phuket 101, the story on this page describes Phi Phi before COVID-19. We will update it once travel resumes.

The US Army is planning to demonstrate a 300-kilowatt laser weapon, its most powerful ever, next year. General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) and Boeing are building the device, which is the size of a shipping container and mounted on a heavy truck. “The high power, compact laser weapon… will produce a lethal output greater than anything fielded to date,” Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS, said in a statement. The US Navy deployed the first high-energy laser weapon, known as LaWS, on the USS Ponce in 2014, with a reported 30 kilowatt output. Most military lasers tend to be in the 30 to 100 kilowatt range, which is mainly useful for shooting down small drones, so the new weapon is a significant increase.

The U.S. Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW), will soon begin its next round of testing. The US Army is looking to replace the M4 Carbine, M249 SAW, and M240 machine gun as well as the 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm rounds with a more lethal cartridge with a longer range

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