On the basis of analytical overview of the present-day models of aerosol and gas components of the atmosphere, the model has been developed to calculate the laser radiation transmission at altitudes higher than 10 km, and the coefficients of extinction, absorption, and scattering of laser radiation are determined for the cases of vertical and slant atmospheric paths. The conditions are formulated for the parameters of Gaussian and super-Gaussian beams when the distortions due to the nonlinear effects of the interaction of a laser pulse with the upper atmosphere can be neglected.