Test of Missile-Blasting Laser Weapon Fizzles

(Sept. 7) -- A much-anticipated test of a laser cannon deployed on a Boeing jumbo jet failed to blow up a target meant to mimic a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile.

The failure, which has not been previously reported, occurred during an exercise that was supposed to demonstrate the laser's ability to shoot down an incoming ballistic missile at a range of over 100 miles. But the weapon prematurely stopped zapping the missile and failed to destroy it.

www.aolnews.com... here's the original source

so it dosent seem as if our anti ICBM laser gizo works are well as advertised this isn't exactly good news but its not exactly surprising that they didn't want its failure immediately known but hopefully with the world being how it is these days they will get this new tech sorted out.Also i wonder if it was software,hardware or environmental issues stopping it as each one offers its own problems

software=looking for the bug in all that code?

hardware= find out what broke or didnt work and why

Environmental= find out what (problay) scattered the beam or provided some kind of interference to the laser device ( i know very little about this stuff admittedly but here's my theory)