Researchers deflect lightning with a laser rod.

Lasers can use to deflect lightning. There is the possibility that laser rays can use to form ion or eruption channels by ionizing air. And then electrons can travel through that channel. Lasers are electron beams that can be aimed by using electromagnetic fields. 

Another way to aim electron beams is to make anion and cation clouds to certain sides of the electron's routes. In that case, negative and positive electromagnetic fields are aiming the lightning in the wanted direction.  

Anions, which are negative atoms are pushing the electrons, and cations which are positive atoms are pulling electrons. So cation and anion clouds can use to aim electron beams. Researchers can make artificial lighting simply by pumping electricity or radio waves into clouds. The electric load of the cloud increases, until the electrons can travel to the ground. In some cases, the aircraft that travels above the cloud can be hit by lightning. 

In that case, the aircraft's body gets positive polarity. If the cloud has negative polarity electrons start to travel to the aircraft. That thing increases the level of free energy in the aircraft's body. That causes immediate destruction. The ability to aim flashes of lightning can make it possible to transport electricity through the air. 

But this kind of ability to control high-voltage electron beams is probably interesting to the military. Synthetic lightning has much more energy than photons. 

And the ability to aim that kind of beam at targets can make next-generation cathode weapons possible. In those models, the target is loaded with the positive electric load. And then the electron beam will shoot at it. This kind of system can be very effective in orbital trajectory. 

If the satellite is loaded with negative electricity. It starts to pull protons and other cations to it. This can cause a situation where the satellite will just seem to slam by the solar wind. That kind of system can jam the satellite in a way that looks like an accident or bad luck. 

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-deflecting-lightning-laser-rod.html

https://www.sciencealert.com/firing-a-laser-into-the-sky-can-divert-lightning-experiment-shows

https://www.technologynetworks.com/analysis/articles/cation-vs-anion-definition-chart-and-the-periodic-table-322863

https://shorttextsofoldscholars.blogspot.com/