America's Airborne Laser exposed for the first time

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering, Missile Defense director, announced Wednesday that the Airborne Laser's 1.7-meter-wide conformal window was successfully exposed during flight for the first time, a maneuver necessary for the weapon system to complete its mission of shooting down a ballistic missile during the boost phase.

The conformal window exposure occurred on May 17 during the 18th flight in the current test series for the ABL aircraft, YAL-1A. The window, which is shaped like a huge contact lens, took five years to manufacture and is one of the most complex optics ever developed. It is mounted in a rotating turret-ball assembly on the nose of the ABL aircraft. During takeoff and landing, the window is rotated into the "stowed" position where it is protected by a gasket and metal shield. During an operational mission, three of the four ABL lasers that propagate outside the aircraft, including the megawatt-class "killer" laser, are fired through the window

source

Click here to view hi-resoultion picture of it

The Airborne Laser (ABL) is among the largest and most complex of the Missile Defense Agency’s high-energy laser projects. Once operational, ABL will consist of a chemical laser integrated into the fuselage of a modified Boeing 747-400F freighter aircraft. The system will be capable of eliminating ballistic missiles in their boost phase just seconds after they have been launched.

Controlled by a four-man team, each 747 will operate at altitudes of 40,000 feet or higher. Six infrared sensors positioned on the outside of the 747 (one each on the front and rear and two on each side) will give ABL the ability to.....

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[edit on 24-5-2005 by Thomas Crowne]

Thanks for the link, Great Picture!

Let's watch the lengthy quotes from otehr people's work. Keep it around a paragraph, then the link.

Back to the topic. Want to know what went through my mind while reading this? I thought of the poor little technician who has to maintain the equipment. Could you imagine being the guy who scratches a lens that was 5 years in the making?
I think I'd go AWO-LOOSE that very second!

Originally posted by Thomas Crowne

Back to the topic. Want to know what went through my mind while reading this? I thought of the poor little technician who has to maintain the equipment. Could you imagine being the guy who scratches a lens that was 5 years in the making?

Ah man that would truly suck - off to Leavenworth to chip big rocks into little ones.

cool pic, the nose looks better like that.

to bad its still a couple years away from shooting down a real missile.

Due to the project’s increased visibility as a result of these delays and cost overruns, the ABL program has become a test of the maturity and feasibility of MDA’s other high-energy laser programs. Its success or failure will have a direct effect on the amount of future dollars spent on the research and development of additional laser weapons, such as the highly promising Space-Based Laser (SBL).

source


BTW : Japan and Israel are getting this system too.
Taiwan has also made initial requests for it.

The prospective sale of it to Israel does not make me feel too good as i fear its proliferation to china



[edit on 25-5-2005 by Stealth Spy]

These pictures just go to show how brilliant America can be when it puts its mind to things. That thing looks like it's a technical triumph

thanks,
drfunk

America's Airborne Laser exposed for the first time

Exposed?
Hell no.
It's been exposed for quite sometime.
From 2002:
Airborne laser

Further discussions:
Airborne laser




seekerof

The Airborne Laser's conformal window has been exposed during flight for the first time now.

source


My apologies for not including it in the title of the post .

[edit on 25-5-2005 by Stealth Spy]

very interesting to see this lens. Usual pictures remain with the cache on the nose of the ABL... Kindda impressive as an optic! Must be awful to usinate

Someone said the lens took 5 years to make I was just wondering where that information was published?

Out of curiousity does anyone know what the lens itself cost to make?


Element: what did you mean by it must be aweful to usinate? Did you mean uncinate, or where you going to say "use in ate......" and it got cuf off or something?

thanks

sounds like somthin from Dale Brown books. but in anicase the future of airborne laser is coming to fruit. so is ground base lasers. and space lasers comin after dat. also the ships armed with lasers make gatling guns whose purpose is anti-aircraft obsolete. since lasers faster.