The LAP (Laser di Alta Potenza – High Power Laser) research project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Defense, concerns the study, the design and the implementation of atmospheric propagation tests of the 10 TW laser pulse of the ILIL laboratory. The aim is defining the conditions of intensity, divergence, temporal and spatial profile to optimize the transfer of laser energy in air over large distances (100 m – 2 Km). The project involves the modeling of the physical process through numerical codes, followed by experimental investigation. The work includes systematic studies of the effects of ionization and self-focusing in air, also by controlling the transverse phase of the beam, thanks to the use of adaptive optics systems. Applications include long range femtosecond non-linear LIDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging), used for atmospheric studies, such as the detection of the concentration of some chemical species in the air or lightnening control.