The problems encountered in the electrical excitation of pulsed CO2lasers operating at atmospheric pressure are briefly reviewed, with some solutions developed at the Defence Research Establishment Valcartier, and their limitations. A new approach, based on a double transverse discharge technique, has permitted the design of a 3.8 m long laser which delivered up to 9 J/pulse with a peak power of 12 MW. An output energy density of 5.5 mJ/cm3of excited gas has been achieved.