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Old 02-12-2010, 06:31 AM
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Thumbs up U.S. successfully tests airborne laser on missile

U.S. successfully tests airborne laser on missile

WASHINGTON
Fri Feb 12, 2010 6:52am EST

The U.S.A.F. Airborne Laser aircraft sits on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, June 21, 2007.
Credit: Reuters/Larry Downing





WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. high-powered airborne laser weapon shot down a ballistic missile in the first successful test of a futuristic directed energy weapon, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said on Friday.
U.S.

The agency said in a statement the test took place at 8:44 p.m. PST (11:44 p.m. EST) on Thursday /0444 GMT on Friday) at Point Mugu's Naval Air Warfare Center-Weapons Division Sea Range off Ventura in central California.

"The Missile Defense Agency demonstrated the potential use of directed energy to defend against ballistic missiles when the Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) successfully destroyed a boosting ballistic missile" the agency said.

The high-powered Airborne Laser system is being developed by Boeing Co., the prime contractor, and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

Boeing produces the airframe, a modified 747 jumbo jet, while Northrop Grumman supplies the higher-energy laser and Lockheed Martin is developing the beam and fire control systems.

"This was the first directed energy lethal intercept demonstration against a liquid-fuel boosting ballistic missile target from an airborne platform," the agency added.

The airborne laser weapon successfully underwent its first in-flight test against a target missile back in August. During that test, Boeing said the modified 747-400F aircraft took off from Edwards Air Force Base and used its infrared sensors to find a target missile launched from San Nicolas Island, California.

The plane's battle management system issued engagement and target location instructions to the laser's fire control system, which tracked the target and fired a test laser at the missile. Instruments on the missile verified the system had hit its mark, Boeing said.

The airborne laser weapon is aimed at deterring enemy missile attacks and providing the U.S. military with the ability to engage all classes of ballistic missiles at the speed of light while they are in the boost phase of flight.

"The revolutionary use of directed energy is very attractive for missile defense, with the potential to attack multiple targets at the speed of light, at a range of hundreds of kilometers (miles), and at a low cost per intercept attempt compared to current technologies," the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said.

(Reporting by Jim Wolf and David Alexander, Editing by Sandra Maler)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUST...0Top%20News%29
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  #2  
Old 02-13-2010, 10:40 AM
darrels joy's Avatar
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Video: So Long, Airborne Laser...

We hardly knew ye:
The MDA at one time had plans to field operational versions of the ABL for boost-phase missile defense, but the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has scaled back the program. Plans now call for using the experimental ABL platform as a test bed for research on directed energy weapons. Depending on available funding, the aircraft may conduct up to two more flight tests this year, MDA Executive Director David Altwegg said Feb. 1. However, Lehner said Feb. 12 that no additional flight tests are currently scheduled. Following the flight test program, management of the ABL will be transferred from MDA to the Office of the Pentagon’s Director of Defense Research and Engineering and the High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office, MDA budget documents show. The ABL has a $182.3 million budget for this year, but the MDA did not request any money for the program in 2011.
So despite having its budget cut out from under it last year, the ABL still amazed the world by making history Thursday. And as it's hauled back into the hangar, here's my Valentine video for the ABL:
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