beaupower32
Tech Sergeant
My wifes dad is the project manager of this program. He sends me all this stuff as it becomes de-classified. They sucessfully shot down their first missle yesterday! Enjoy the videos, they are pretty cool to watch a missle get shot down by a laser while in boost stage.
The Airborne Laser Testbed operates aboard a modified Boeing 747-400, and is designed to detect, track and kill ballistic missiles in their boost phase using a high energy laser
Airborne Laser Testbed Media Gallery
Feb. 11, 2010 - At 8:44 p.m. (PST), a short-range threat-representative ballistic missile was launched from an at-sea mobile launch platform. Within seconds, the ALTB used onboard sensors to detect the boosting missile and used a low-energy laser to track the target. The ALTB then fired a second low-energy laser to measure and compensate for atmospheric disturbance. Finally, the ALTB fired its megawatt-class High Energy Laser, heating the boosting ballistic missile to critical structural failure. The entire engagement occurred within two minutes of the target missile launch, while its rocket motors were still thrusting.
The Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) is being developed as an advanced platform for MDA's directed energy research program. Using two solid state lasers and a megawatt-class Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser housed aboard a modified Boeing 747-400 Freighter, the ALTB uses directed energy to demonstrate the potential of using directed energy as a viable technology against ballistic missiles.
Firing Sequence
The Airborne Laser Testbed uses six infrared sensors to detect the exhaust plume of a boosting missile.
Once a target is detected, a kilowatt-class solid state laser, the Track Illuminator, tracks the missile and determines a precise aim point.
The Beacon Illuminator, a second kilowatt-class solid state laser, then measures disturbances in the atmosphere, which are corrected by the adaptive optics system to accurately point and focus the high energy laser at its intended target.
Using a very large telescope located in the nose turret, the beam control/fire control system focuses the megawatt-class COIL beam onto a pressurized area of the boosting missile, holding it there until the concentrated energy compromises the structural integrity of the threat missile causing it to fail.
Development
The High Energy Laser is now integrated on the aircraft with laser subsystem activation. The program achieved return to flight in April 2009 when it kicked-off its High Power System Integration (HPSI) experiment program. This experiment series verified correct operation of target tracking and atmospheric compensation of the upgraded Beam Control system using the low power energy lasers.
The Beam Control system has been demonstrated against the first two live target tracking experiments on June 6 and 13, 2009. These experiments mark the first time ALTB demonstrated a complete low-power engagement sequence against a boosting target in flight.
Using the low power energy lasers, the aircraft successfully acquired, tracked, provided atmospheric compensation and simulated the directed energy kill sequence against an instrumented boosting missile target August 10, 2009. This experiment was the first time laser performance data was collected at the target missile.
The ALTB's COIL successfully fired in flight August 18, 2009, validating the High Energy Laser's (HEL) ability to fire in an airborne environment. The laser fired into an onboard calorimeter - a test instrument used to capture the laser energy and measure performance characteristics of the beam.
On January 10, 2010 the ALTB HEL successfully acquired, tracked, provided atmospheric compensation and engaged an instrumented rocket. This phase of COIL testing represents a major step towards ALTB's planned lethal demonstration against a boosting missile later this year.
There are no plans at this time to build additional ALTB aircraft; MDA will continue research and development of directed energy technology and its potential application for ballistic missile defense.
The Airborne Laser Testbed operates aboard a modified Boeing 747-400, and is designed to detect, track and kill ballistic missiles in their boost phase using a high energy laser
Airborne Laser Testbed Media Gallery
Feb. 11, 2010 - At 8:44 p.m. (PST), a short-range threat-representative ballistic missile was launched from an at-sea mobile launch platform. Within seconds, the ALTB used onboard sensors to detect the boosting missile and used a low-energy laser to track the target. The ALTB then fired a second low-energy laser to measure and compensate for atmospheric disturbance. Finally, the ALTB fired its megawatt-class High Energy Laser, heating the boosting ballistic missile to critical structural failure. The entire engagement occurred within two minutes of the target missile launch, while its rocket motors were still thrusting.
The Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) is being developed as an advanced platform for MDA's directed energy research program. Using two solid state lasers and a megawatt-class Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser housed aboard a modified Boeing 747-400 Freighter, the ALTB uses directed energy to demonstrate the potential of using directed energy as a viable technology against ballistic missiles.
Firing Sequence
The Airborne Laser Testbed uses six infrared sensors to detect the exhaust plume of a boosting missile.
Once a target is detected, a kilowatt-class solid state laser, the Track Illuminator, tracks the missile and determines a precise aim point.
The Beacon Illuminator, a second kilowatt-class solid state laser, then measures disturbances in the atmosphere, which are corrected by the adaptive optics system to accurately point and focus the high energy laser at its intended target.
Using a very large telescope located in the nose turret, the beam control/fire control system focuses the megawatt-class COIL beam onto a pressurized area of the boosting missile, holding it there until the concentrated energy compromises the structural integrity of the threat missile causing it to fail.
Development
The High Energy Laser is now integrated on the aircraft with laser subsystem activation. The program achieved return to flight in April 2009 when it kicked-off its High Power System Integration (HPSI) experiment program. This experiment series verified correct operation of target tracking and atmospheric compensation of the upgraded Beam Control system using the low power energy lasers.
The Beam Control system has been demonstrated against the first two live target tracking experiments on June 6 and 13, 2009. These experiments mark the first time ALTB demonstrated a complete low-power engagement sequence against a boosting target in flight.
Using the low power energy lasers, the aircraft successfully acquired, tracked, provided atmospheric compensation and simulated the directed energy kill sequence against an instrumented boosting missile target August 10, 2009. This experiment was the first time laser performance data was collected at the target missile.
The ALTB's COIL successfully fired in flight August 18, 2009, validating the High Energy Laser's (HEL) ability to fire in an airborne environment. The laser fired into an onboard calorimeter - a test instrument used to capture the laser energy and measure performance characteristics of the beam.
On January 10, 2010 the ALTB HEL successfully acquired, tracked, provided atmospheric compensation and engaged an instrumented rocket. This phase of COIL testing represents a major step towards ALTB's planned lethal demonstration against a boosting missile later this year.
There are no plans at this time to build additional ALTB aircraft; MDA will continue research and development of directed energy technology and its potential application for ballistic missile defense.
Rock on!
Sweet!
As far as it going further the U.S. gov. has shut down funding for the program was the last that I had heard on it so who knows.
