In order to cope with the impact of airborne directed energy weapons on air warfare, it is necessary to scientifically study and judge their development status. Firstly, the basic concepts, combat application scenarios, advantages and disadvantages of airborne directed energy weapons are studied, and the development of major airborne high-energy lasers and high-power microwave weapons in foreign countries is analyzed, and then the main practices of foreign countries in the development of directed energy weapons are studied. Foreign countries rapidly advance the development of airborne directed energy weapons through forward-looking layout, establishment of perfect management institutions, sustained investment, and attention to the construction of supporting test facilities, etc. The airborne high-energy laser weapons maybe the first directed energy weapons to be realized, airborne high-power microwave weapons will remain as the main form of the combat section of missiles and bombs in the short term. Airborne directed energy weapons should carry out mounted tests as early as possible, continue to overcome the miniaturization, high power-to-weight ratio, high efficiency ring control, electromagnetic compatibility protection and other difficult problems, breakthroughs in the mode of combat use, overall design and integration, test platform construction, test and evaluation and other key technologies, and sustained inputs, long-term layout of the synergistic development of the emphasis on the construction of a common air test platform, increase the exploratory flight test, and promote the technological through constant testing gradually mature.