US Begins Testing Airborne Laser To Shoot Down Missiles

SPACEWAR

flash gordon would be proud

Washington (AFP) Jul 19, 2002
A jumbo jet retrofitted to carry a laser gun capable of shooting down enemy missiles has been flight-tested for the first time as part of US efforts to build a controversial missile defense system, according to defense and industry officials.

The modified Boeing 747-400 took off from an airport in Wichita, Kansas, Thursday for a two-hour flight to check the aircraft's aerodynamic performance and system operation, the officials said.

The test marked the beginning of a months-long flight-worthiness test program for the first airborne laser aircraft, which sports a nose turret and top-mounted laser targeting pod.

The plane is expected to become a key component of the multi-layered missile defense system envisaged by President George W. Bush.

"This represents a major step forward for the airborne laser program," Air Force Colonel Ellen Pawlikowski, who coordinates the project from Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, said in a statement issued after the test.

"We're making important, careful strides toward our goal of building a boost-phase missile-defense system."

The concept calls for using a high-energy chemical laser aboard the aircraft to shoot down ballistic missiles in their boost phase.

Laser-equipped Boeings would patrol the skies near conflict zones, scanning the horizon for the plumes of rising missiles.

A tracking laser would then acquire and follow missiles, and when the targeting is complete, a laser gun would fire a three- to five-second burst at the missile in an attempt to perforate its surface and bring about a fuel explosion.

After a complete check of its performance, the Boeing will be moved later this year to Edwards Air Force Base in California, where it will be equipped with tracking and high-energy laser systems.

Current plans call for building seven such aircraft that will help defend US troops and bases against Scud-like missiles in conflict zones.

The US government plans to spend 2.7 billion dollars on the airborne laser program in the next five years, according to defense officials.

"This system is one of the most complex engineering challenges ever undertaken in an aircraft, and our team has made solid progress," said Boeing Vice President Scott Fancher.

The program brings together three mammoth defense contractors -- Boeing, Lockheed Martin and TRW, according to industry officials.

The experimental flight over Kansas was part of a stepped-up test program for the missile defense system the Pentagon is embarking upon now that the constraints of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) have been removed.

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SPACEWAR

Air Force Lab Contracts Raytheon For Laser And Missiles Study

Kirtland AFB - Jun 20, 2002
A joint research agreement was signed this week by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate here and Raytheon Missile Systems of Tucson, Ariz.

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