Boeing YAL-1 airborne laser

WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (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.
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., (BA.N) the prime contractor, and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

Boeing produces the airframe, a modified 747 jumbo jet, while Northrop Grumman (NOC.N) supplies the higher-energy laser and Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) 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)

The project is almost canceled.The second laser plane is canceled and the curent one is "demoted" to R&D.

The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser Testbed, (formerly Airborne Laser) weapons system is a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified Boeing 747-400F. It is primarily designed as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs), while in boost phase. The aircraft was designated YAL-1A in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The YAL-1 with a low-power laser was test-fired in flight, at an airborne target in 2007. A high-energy laser was used to intercept a test target in January 2010, and the following month, successfully destroyed two test missiles.

UMC wrote:The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser Testbed, (formerly Airborne Laser) weapons system is a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified Boeing 747-400F. It is primarily designed as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs), while in boost phase. The aircraft was designated YAL-1A in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The YAL-1 with a low-power laser was test-fired in flight, at an airborne target in 2007. A high-energy laser was used to intercept a test target in January 2010, and the following month, successfully destroyed two test missiles.

This belongs in the United States subsection of NATO!

Secondly , please post an intro here: http://russiadefence.forumotion.com/member-introductions-and-rules-f6/
I am sure that Camp Lejune taught you matters ,so please show them!

This insane military laser weapon burned a hole through a truck a mile away


http://www.pcworld.com/article/2894114/this-insane-military-laser-weapon-burned-a-hole-through-a-truck-a-mile-away.html


newlaser by Lockheed martin . Where are russians heading to in Laser weaponry ?

WOW... it burned a hole in a truck 1.6km away... and for the 30 million dollars that shot cost they could have fired a hellfire that could have done a much more destructive job at 4 times that distance.

The real question is WTF are they doing trying to "stop" a truck without hurting the passengers for anyway?

Some bright light from the sky burns a hole through the engine of my car and I am not just going to sit there and see who arrives to talk to me.

And if the people inside the vehicle do decide to run are you going to laser lance them and kill them with this weapon... I bet the first person they fry using this is going on Youtube and the whole concept of using lasers as weapons will be banned because it sure wont be pretty.

It is an incredibly expensive system looking for a role and right now they don't really have a clue.

Ironically the Russian equivalent mounted on an Il-76 called the A-60 is intended for destroying optical systems and enemy recon sensors... a much easier goal with much lower energy requirements and of course rather more benefits... you fly around your own assets lasing any optical sensor directed at your own assets. means you don't need to fly anywhere near enemy BM launch sites and the power requirements are much lower.

GarryB wrote:WOW... it burned a hole in a truck 1.6km away... and for the 30 million dollars that shot cost they could have fired a hellfire that could have done a much more destructive job at 4 times that distance.

The real question is WTF are they doing trying to "stop" a truck without hurting the passengers for anyway?

Some bright light from the sky burns a hole through the engine of my car and I am not just going to sit there and see who arrives to talk to me.

And if the people inside the vehicle do decide to run are you going to laser lance them and kill them with this weapon... I bet the first person they fry using this is going on Youtube and the whole concept of using lasers as weapons will be banned because it sure wont be pretty.

It is an incredibly expensive system looking for a role and right now they don't really have a clue.

Ironically the Russian equivalent mounted on an Il-76 called the A-60 is intended for destroying optical systems and enemy recon sensors... a much easier goal with much lower energy requirements and of course rather more benefits... you fly around your own assets lasing any optical sensor directed at your own assets. means you don't need to fly anywhere near enemy BM launch sites and the power requirements are much lower.

I agree man, there's nothing "insane" at 1.6km range, if anything its not even modest especially considering lasers lack all weather capability, and even mirror reflective paint would be a simple and cheap counter-measure. The best use for lasers is to blind spy satellites, and Russia, China, and Iran were all successful at doing this. If they managed to squeeze 200km I'd be impressed, but speaking about lasers has there been any news on gamma-radiation lasers being developed by Russia? It seems like a highly secretive project.

if you ask me... baby steps, but they are getting there. btw, this weapon wont have any pr nightmare associated with it- no witnesses .
set it on a low power sweep across anything that resembles eyes and boom, problem solved.

Well the silly thing is that the photo they provided with the laser burn in the engine compartment of the car shows the car was mounted on a frame so the angled laser beam burned straight down into the engine.

the only reason you would target the engine would be to stop the vehicle without injuring the people inside.

now unless that car is going down a very steep slope that car target wont be on an angle to allow a laser to burn straight down through the engine... more likely the laser will burn through the front and then through the driver or passenger and out the back of the vehicle...

In other words they might as well have blown the whole vehicle up anyway...

In recent revelations about how US wasted taxpayers 10 billion $ . They discussed about Airborne Laser system, canceled in 2012, a decade after it was envisaged. The project would incorporate converted Boeing 747s which would fire laser beams at missiles soon after they were launched.

The only problem with the $5.3 billion project, was that the lasers could only be fired from a short range, meaning the planes would have to get very close to where the missiles were to be launched from and would be sitting ducks for missile defense systems.


can Russia's air borne laser plane fire lasers from long range ?

max steel wrote:In recent revelations about how US wasted taxpayers 10 billion $ . They discussed about Airborne Laser system, canceled in 2012, a decade after it was envisaged. The project would incorporate converted Boeing 747s which would fire laser beams at missiles soon after they were launched.

The only problem with the $5.3 billion project, was that the lasers could only be fired from a short range, meaning the planes would have to get very close to where the missiles were to be launched from and would be sitting ducks for missile defense systems.  


can Russia's air borne laser plane  fire lasers from long range ?

Lasers have not much use for long range, they take to much power to operate, can only be used on ground targets with necessary power and are completley reliant on weather, moisture and the object must be as dark as possible to absorb all energy from the laser. Chrome your missile and Laser is Useless.

The Russian air borne laser system has a different role... it is intended to defeat optics in enemy satellites, not shoot down distant missiles.