EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., 13 Feb. 2010. The U.S. Missle Defense Agency's Airborne Laser Testbed (ABLT) destroyed a ballistic missile in boost phase.
This experiment marks the first time a laser weapon has engaged and destroyed an in-flight ballistic missile, and the first time that any system has accomplished it in the missile's boost phase of flight, say officials at Boeing Defense Space and Security, prime contractor for the ABLT. ALTB has the highest-energy laser ever fired from an aircraft, and is the most powerful mobile laser device in the world.
During the experiment, the aircraft, a modified Boeing 747-400F, took off from Edwards Air Force Base and focused its high-energy laser at the missile target during its boost phase as the aircraft flew over the Western Sea Range off the coast of California.
"The Airborne Laser Testbed team has made history with this experiment," says Greg Hyslop, vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems. "Through its hard work and technical ingenuity, the government-industry team has produced a breakthrough with incredible potential. We look forward to conducting additional research and development to explore what this unique directed-energy system can do."
"We've been saying for some time that the Airborne Laser Testbed would be a pathfinder for directed energy and would expand options for policymakers and warfighters," says Michael Rinn, Boeing vice president and ALTB program director. "With this successful experiment, the Airborne Laser Testbed has blazed a path for a new generation of high-energy, ultra-precision weaponry. ALTB technology and future directed-energy platforms will transform how the United States defends itself and its friends and allies. Having the capability to precisely project force, in a measured way, at the speed of light, will save lives."
Northrop Grumman designed and built ALTB's high-energy laser, and Lockheed Martin developed the beam control/fire control system. Boeing provided the aircraft, the battle management system and overall systems integration and testing.
