Airborne Laser
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Balistic missiles, conventional, chemical or biological have become major threats to American armed forces. This threat has already taken American lives -- 28 in a single attack, the most U.S. or allied casualties from any attack during the Persian Gulf War. As of early 1998, at least 30 nations were known to have more than 10,000 ballistic missiles in their arsenals and the threat is growing daily. Several of these countries are also known to be pursuing development or to have developed nuclear, chemical and biological capabilities for their missiles.
A crew of four, including pilot and copilot, would be required to operate the airborne laser, which would patrol in pairs at high altitude, about 40,000 feet, flying in orbits over friendly territory, scanning the horizon for the plumes of rising missiles.
Capable of autonomous operation, the ABL would acquire and track missiles in the boost phase of flight, illuminating the missile with a tracking laser beam while computers measure the distance and calculate its course and direction.
After acquiring and locking onto the target, a second laser - with weapons-class strength - would fire a three- to five-second burst from a turret located in the 747's nose, destroying the missiles over the launch area.
The Airborne Laser is a Major Defense Acquisition Program. After the Concept Design Phase is complete, the ABL will enter the Program Definition and Risk Reduction (PDRR) Phase. The objective of the PDRR phase is to develop a cost effective, flexible airborne high energy laser system which provides a credible deterrent and lethal defensive capabilities against boosting theater ballistic missiles.
Companies that work on the program are Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northop Grumman.
A Boeing 747-400F (freighter) aircraft is used as airframe, and is modified to fit the laser systems.
A Lockheed Martin team designed, produced, integrated and flight tested the first prototype ABL demonstration system.
They succefully performed a boost-phase shoot-down of a theater ballistic missile.
Nothrop grumman designed, developed and produces the laser system itself.
The airborne laser would fire a Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser, or COIL, invented at Phillips Lab in 1977. The laser's fuel consists of the same chemicals found in hair bleach and Drano - hydrogen peroxide and potassium hydroxide - which are then combined with chlorine gas and water. The laser operates at an infrared wavelength of 1.315 microns, which is invisible to the eye. By recycling chemicals, building with plastics and using a unique cooling process, the COIL team was able to make the laser lighter and more efficient while - at the same time - increasing its power by 400 percent in five years. It will carry enough reactants for about 20 shots
The airborne laser program is not entirely new, in the 70's and 80's the Air Force weapons Laboratory at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico used a modified NKC-135A in an 11-year experiment to prove a high-energy laser could be operated in an aircraft and employed against airborne targets. During the experiment, the Airborne Laser Lab destroyed five AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and a Navy BQM-34A target drone. The aircraft was flown to the Museum in May 1988.
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Images and information from FAS.org, LockheedMartin.com and various news articles
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