The Weekly Debrief: Airborne Laser For Missile Defense Remains Elusive

Airborne Laser
Credit: U.S. Missile Defense Agency
The idea of blasting a boost-phase ballistic weapon out of the sky with a high-energy laser mounted on an aircraft has always been ambitious, and it remains so after 20 years of failed attempts. A Feb. 11, 2010, test by the 1MW-class Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser (ABL) proved it was feasible to...
Steve Trimble

Steve covers military aviation, missiles and space for the Aviation Week Network, based in Washington DC.

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