Pentagon stays the course with laser weapon

msnbc.msn.com ^ | March 22, 2006 | Jeremy Singer

[neverdem]

Airborne Laser given a reprieve — and challenging development schedule

The threat of cancellation no longer looms over the Pentagon's Airborne Laser effort, but senior program officials say they are taking nothing for granted as they prepare for a missile-intercept demonstration in 2008.

Several clear test milestones have been laid out for the Airborne Laser in 2006 so that senior Missile Defense Agency officials will be able to measure its progress, according to Air Force Col. John Daniels, the effort's program director.

The Airborne Laser, or ABL, is a Boeing 747 aircraft being equipped with a high-powered chemical laser to destroy ballistic missiles in their boost phase. Chicago-based Boeing Co. is the prime contactor on the effort.

As envisioned, the aircraft would fly in a figure-eight pattern over an area deemed a likely site of a missile launch. Onboard infrared sensors would detect the launch and feed that information into a computer that would direct the laser turret to point at the ascending missile. The turret would then fire two lower-powered solid-state lasers — one to track the missile and one to measure atmospheric distortion — before shooting the high-powered chemical laser at the target.

The ABL program's inability to meet cost and schedule targets in past years once made it a candidate for termination. Just prior to his 2004 retirement, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, who was then serving as the Missile Defense Agency's director, said the program could be canceled if it did not perform well in initial flight and ground tests that were scheduled for late in the year.

Those tests were a flight of the aircraft outfitted with the battle-management and fire-control systems, and a brief firing of the chemical laser on the ground. Both went smoothly, and the senior Missile Defense Agency...

[neverdem]

Jim Shryne / USAF
The Boeing-led Airborne Laser team exposes the Airborne Laser's conformal window during a test flight. Such an exposure is necessary for the weapon system to complete its mission of shooting down a ballistic missile during the boost phase of flight.

Lockheed Martin
An engineer at Lockheed Martin's facility in Sunnyvale, Calif., inspects the Turret Ball Conformal Window on the Flight Turret Assembly for the Airborne Laser. The window is the exit for the High Energy Laser, as well as the exit and return window for the Beacon Illuminator and Tracker Illuminator lasers.

[tet68]

No reason we couldn't have this in orbit eh?
I'd want one but my safe isn't that big.

[Turbopilot]

Well, it looks cool, but according to the article it needs to be flying above the missile sites when they're launched. So for it to shoot down missiles, we'd 1) have to know where they're coming from and 2) have a civilian airliner circling that location nonstop waiting for the launch. Those sound to me like pretty severe shortcomings. If we knew where missiles were coming from and could safely overfly the area, it seems like we could just bomb/cruise missile the site before launch.

[Lurker]

It's pretty cool, but I'll be impressed when we can put the fricking laser beams on a sharks head.

L

[COEXERJ145]

The ABL isn't designed to stop a sudden attack, especially by a country like Russia or China. It is designed to intercept TBM's such as SCUD's.

It would be used during something like Desert Storm or Iraqi Freedom where we know that enemy ballistic missile launches are possible and where they will most likely originate.

[zarf]

,i>It's pretty cool, but I'll be impressed when we can put the fricking laser beams on a sharks head.

It's all very flashy and stuff, but ya think they could figure out how to stop these primative IED's first?

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

we'd be nuts to not develop this further and in whichever and all directions are possible

[Lancer_N3502A]

Can't wait for the AC-747 close air support version.

[PittsburghAfterDark]

Straight out of Dale Brown.

I wonder what they have that isn't being made public.

[Lancey Howard]

The Airborne Laser, or ABL, is a Boeing 747 aircraft being equipped with a high-powered chemical laser to destroy ballistic missiles in their boost phase.

That moon base will be helpful, too.

[compuguru]

Cost to develop and field the Airborne Laser: untold billions.

Cost to chrome plate a missile to a mirror-like finish: about $2000 each.

Cost to see the looks on the faces of the Joint Chiefs when they see their shiny new toy reflecting off the shiny new missile: priceless.

[GSlob]

The laser is chemical. If you are to get it in orbit, you'd need to replenish /reload the system after every few shots, or to create the whole chemical plant in orbit to regenerate the chemicals.

[GSlob]

There are not many good mirror materials in near UV.

[DrewsDad]

It's all very flashy and stuff, but ya think they could figure out how to stop these primative IED's first?

Why can't they put cameras in common areas for the IEDs?

[compuguru]

Was your reply tongue-in-cheek or are there reflective materials that COULD be used? Is the UV aspect applicable to all three lasers (tracking, atmospheric and "the big one")?

It seems from the article that all three have to work, precisely in sequence, in order to manage a disabling shot. While I'm sure other folks smarter than myself thought about the mirror coating already, there are so many low-tech counters to this weapon that come to my humble mind that I wonder at the wisdom of the vision. Such as: pre-launch chaff missiles, fired just before launch of the payload missile, allowing it to fly through a column of tracking-laser-reflecting chaff. One Soviet tactic was to launch three missiles at once. Will the ABL be able to handle such multiple targets? And, despite stealth technology that the ABL platform may have, its location will be revealed during firing. Will the ABL platform still be able to perform its mission while evading counter-fire from the enemy?

(Placing tin-foil hat firmly on head) Is this ABL story a cover for another purpose for this technology? (Slowly raises eyes to the moon) A purpose where common counter-measures would be ineffectual?

[neverdem]

Actor Charlie Sheen Ponders Ultimate Hollywood Conspiracy Theory Here's A Poverty of the Mind too!

A Poverty of the Mind

From time to time, I’ll ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.

[CindyDawg]

Is Pooh Bear in there?

[phantomworker]

Third article on ABL in a week. Shows that high energy weapons need to be developed for future strategic technology.

ABL: Peace through light.

[American in Israel]

This system is the THEL laser, joint developed with Israel, placed on an aircraft with targeting lasers added. Very neat.

Yes it is able to handle multiple targets and some of the real interesting applications is hinted at in the articles. If you can target space trash, you can target satellites. This could be one heck of a re loadable anti satellite weapon platform.

As to self defense against incoming. If it can target an ICBM there is nothing smaller or faster out there. Pity the MIG that tries to attack this thing.

[Mr. Silverback]

Actually, it could be quite a ways from the missile launch site. One of the "here's how it works" graphics I've seen had it orbiting about 100 miles off North Korea. Simple enough to keep one there and protect it with fighters from a carrier group of the Wolfpack F-16 guys in South Korea.