[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.

[Lancer_N3502A]

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

[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.

[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.

[Doctor Stochastic]

The ABL program's inability to meet cost and schedule targets in past years once made it a candidate for termination.

Why? This is one of the useful attributes of any job creation program.

[longtermmemmory]

The left will say it can never work and then immediatly call for proliferation control.

The clintons will try and sell this tech to china.