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Airborne Laser System
The Airborne Laser system will — for the first time — provide an early defense against such missiles as
Scuds by destroying them in the boost phase.
The Airborne Laser
System
Within the last decade, tactical theater ballistic missiles — such as the
Scuds used by Iraq during Desert Storm — have emerged as major threats
to American forces deployed abroad and allied nations as well.
As part of a U.S. Air Force effort to address the feasibility of an airborne
laser system for defense against those types of missiles, a team comprised
of Boeing, TRW and Lockheed Martin has been exploring the concept of
an accurate, airborne, high-energy laser. The laser weapon system would
shoot down theater ballistic missiles while they still are over the launch
area.
The Airborne Laser (ABL) weapon system would operate at altitudes above the clouds where it can acquire and track
missiles in boost flight, and then accurately point and fire the laser with such energy that the missile is destroyed before
it can do any harm.
Boeing/TRW/Lockheed Martin ABL Program Status
In Sept. 1992, Boeing received a $200,000 contract from the U.S. Air Force Phillips Laboratory to assess how well an
existing large airplane such as a 707, 767 or B-52 would perform while carrying a high-energy laser and beam control
system. The assessment suggested a 747 modified with an external turret and a fairing as the best platform for the
system.
On Aug. 13, 1993, under the name "Team ABL," the Boeing/TRW/Lockheed Martin team submitted a proposal to the
Air Force's Airborne Laser System Program Office at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., for a contract involving concept
design of an airborne laser system.
In 1994, Team ABL was one of two contractor teams chosen to conduct separate Airborne Laser conceptual design
studies. On July 9, 1996, Team ABL submitted to the Air Force its proposal to demonstrate its laser weapon system in
the Program Definition and Risk Reduction (PDRR) phase of the program to begin in early 1997 when a single
contractor will be selected to design, develop, integrate and test an Airborne Laser weapon system. On November 12,
1996, the $1.1 billion PDRR contract was awarded to Team ABL.
This initial system will conclusively show that all key technologies are available to proceed with a follow-on contract for
fully operational systems. A follow-on Engineering Manufacturing and Development/Production (EMD) effort could then
begin in the early 2003 time frame.
Team Member Experience
Boeing is experienced in integrating large, complex systems into aircraft and managing technologically challenging
programs; TRW has a premier capability in designing, building and integrating megawatt-class lasers; and Lockheed
Martin has leading-edge approaches to optical systems that point, stabilize and correct the laser beam to ensure target
destruction.
Boeing has extensive experience in integrating complex systems with an airplane platform through its work on
programs such as Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) E-3 and 767, and the Airborne Surveillance Testbed
(AST). It also has a strong history of successfully managing large technology programs and weapon systems
developments.
TRW built the world's first high-energy chemical laser in 1972 for the Air Force. Six years later, it integrated a
high-energy laser with a beam control system that successfully destroyed missiles in flight. More recently, TRW has built
and demonstrated the world's only operating megawatt-class lasers, Alpha and MIRACL. The Alpha laser was built for
the Air Force under funding from the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. MIRACL, built for the U.S.Navy, was
delivered to the U.S.Army's High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility in New Mexico, where it was integrated with a
beam control system and also used to destroy test missiles in flight.
Lockheed Martin draws on its extensive work for the Department of Defense. Its path-finding experience in
programs like Talon Gold, the Large Optics Demonstration Experiment, Star lab, and the Ground-based Free Electron
Laser Beam Control system provided important technical data to the airborne laser optical approach. Also, Lockheed
Martin's recent experience in large optics and high-precision pointing systems for high-energy lasers — such as Zenith
Star program — is key to the Airborne Laser project.