Boeing yal-1

An airborne laser ABL is a laser system operated from a flying platform, boeing yal-1, as in the:. Of note is that the ALL demonstrated one of the early uses of deformable mirror technology.

Exactly 20 years ago today, a modified Boeing F took its first flight. The only difference? The US military started the airborne laser program ABL in , but an experimental prototype was already tested more than a decade ago. However, the project was not pursued any further despite the testbed providing impressive results. Interest in the program reignited when the Soviet Union began developing advanced Scud missiles during the Cold War. Unlike most other US defense contracts, several companies, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, were involved in this deal.

Boeing yal-1

It was designed to shoot down ballistic missiles in the boost phase of their flight, providing a defensive capability against missile threats. The laser system used a chemical oxygen iodine laser COIL to emit a high-energy light beam. This laser was powerful enough to track and destroy ballistic missiles from a distance while still in their boost phase. The primary objective of the YAL-1 Airborne Laser program was to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of using directed energy weapons to intercept and destroy enemy missiles. The boost phase interception was considered advantageous because it allowed for the destruction of missiles early in their trajectory, reducing the potential damage they could cause. The YAL-1 underwent a series of flight tests and ground-based tests to evaluate its capabilities. It successfully demonstrated the ability to track and destroy multiple test targets during its testing phase. However, the program faced various technical and operational challenges, including the limited range and duration of the laser system, the size and weight of the equipment, and the complexity of maintaining and operating the aircraft. Despite some successes, the YAL-1 Airborne Laser program was ultimately canceled in due to cost overruns, technical difficulties, and shifting priorities within the Department of Defense. The system was never deployed operationally, and the aircraft was retired. The YAL-1 Airborne Laser represented an ambitious effort to develop a laser-based missile defense system. While the program was discontinued, it provided valuable insights and technological advancements that have influenced subsequent research and development efforts in directed energy weapons. This type of laser utilized a chemical reaction to produce a high-energy beam of light capable of destroying ballistic missiles. The COIL laser combined chemicals within the laser system to generate the laser beam.

It carried two solid state lasers and a megawatt-class oxygen iodine directed energy weapon system COIL. The target detection algorithms continuously updated the tracking information to ensure accurate and real-time tracking, boeing yal-1.

It was primarily designed to test its feasibility as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles TBMs while in boost phase. Department of Defense. The YAL-1 with a low-power laser was test-fired in flight at an airborne target in It was ultimately scrapped in September after all usable parts were removed. It shot down several missiles in tests conducted in the s.

Boeing is responsible for programme management, systems integration, battle management system and modification of the F aircraft. TRW is building the laser systems. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is responsible for the target acquisition and beam control systems. In April the ABL final critical design review was completed. In July , the modified aircraft took the first of a series of test flights. After receiving airworthiness certification, the aircraft was flown to Edwards Air Force Base, California, in December , for the installation of systems. In August , the ABL completed a series of flight tests demonstrating the performance of the beam and flight control systems.

Boeing yal-1

The very idea of hitting a hostile ballistic missile with a laser beam produced by an airborne emitter sounds like science fiction. But such tests involving a Jumbo Jet equipped with a high-energy laser utilizing chemical reaction were indeed conducted some fifteen years ago. The Pentagon first conducted experiments involving airborne laser weapons under the Airborne Laser Lab ALL program, which lasted from the mids to the mids.

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Archived from the original on January 11, I understand that I have the ability to change or remove this information at any time. Early History of Airborne Lasers 2. Maxwell Goldstein. Sign In Register. Related contents. In an April 6, press conference, the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recommended the cancellation of the planned second ABL aircraft and said that the program should return to a Research and Development effort. The radar system provided initial acquisition of the target and continuous updates during the engagement process. Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency. See Boeing YAL-1 for further discussion. Download as PDF Printable version. China in Antarctica: Cause for Concern? Accurate tracking allowed for the timely and precise delivery of the high-energy laser beam to the target, increasing the system's chances of intercepting and destroying the missile effectively. ProQuest

This weekend, Saturday, November 6 and Sunday November 7, , the Thunder and Lightning over Tucson Airshow at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona will thrill aviation enthusiasts from around the world with a unique mix of aerial and static displays that can only be presented at one of the most unique military aviation installations on earth.

The target detection algorithms continuously updated the tracking information to ensure accurate and real-time tracking. Airborne laser systems could contribute to scientific studies, environmental monitoring, or high-speed communication links between aircraft or ground stations. Archived from the original on February 15, The COIL laser combined chemicals within the laser system to generate the laser beam. His areas of focus are aerospace, technology, and the Indo-Pacific. Retrieved February 25, The Laser System and How it Works. The main laser , located in a turret on the aircraft nose, could be fired for 3 to 5 seconds, causing the missile to break up in flight near the launch area. Plans called for each to carry enough laser fuel for about 20 shots, or perhaps as many as 40 low-power shots against fragile TBMs. BILL provides atmospheric data necessary for calibrating adaptive optics source.