Airborne laser shoots down missile in mid-flight

I subscribe to Jonathan's Space Report and in his latest email he
mentions an airborne laser test.
I did an Internet search for - Missile Defense Agency shoots down two
missiles with Airborne Laser - and found a number of references.
Just part of the billions spent on Star Wars.

The Christian Science Monitor says that the Pentagon isn’t happy with
the price tag, and that Defense Secretary Robert Gates canceled the
original order for a second airborne laser system, but held onto the
original aircraft for further experiments.

Will be interesting to see where the next billions of dollars are spent.
Probably not on going to the Moon now that it is a lessor priority.
- LRK -

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http://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/jsr.html
Jonathan's Space Report - Latest Issue
The Space Report ("JSR") is issued about twice a month. It describes
all space launches, including both piloted missions and automated
satellites.

Jonathan's Space Report
No. 623 2010 Feb 13 Somerville, MA
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Editorial
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In an attempt to enter the 2010s, JSR updates are now available on
Facebook - look for "Jonathan's Space Report" - and Twitter - follow
"planet4589".

snip
Missile tests
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The DRDO (India's defense missile agency) launched the fourth Agni III
missile from the IC4 pad on Inner Wheeler Island in Orissa on Feb 7. It
flew south or southwest over the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean,
splashing down in the southern hemisphere after a 3500 km range flight
to orbital parameters of around -4070 x 350 km x (80 to 131) deg - the
exact direction of the flight is not known.

On Feb 12 the Missile Defense Agency tested the Airborne Laser against
a Scud launched from a floating platform in the Pacific and a Black Brant IX
launched from San Nicolas I. on the S Californian coast. Apogees of
the targets were probably in the 100-200 km range.

snip
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Here is a snip from the Christian Science Monitor article.
- LRK -

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http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/0212/Airborne-laser-shoots-down-missile-in-mid-flight
Airborne laser shoots down missile in mid-flight

The US military's airborne laser scores its first direct hit.

By Chris Gaylord / February 12, 2010

Last night, the military officially entered the age of airborne laser
weapons. A large laser mounted to the front of a modified 747 jet
successfully detected and shot down a ballistic missile while both
were in mid-flight.

The airborne laser program – part Star Wars (the sci-fi flick) and
part Star Wars (the Strategic Defense Initiative) – has taken years of
work and billions of dollars it get here. But the Pentagon can now
witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle
station.

"While ballistic missiles like the one [the Airborne Laser Testbed]
destroyed move at speeds of about 4,000 miles per hour, they are no
match for a super-heated, high-energy laser beam racing towards it at
670 million mph," says defense contractor Northrop Grumman in a
release after announcing the successful test Friday.
snip

In a massive collaboration, Northrop Grumman constructed the
megawatt-class high-energy laser, Lockheed Martin designed the firing
system, and Boeing tied everything together with the U.S. Missile
Defense Agency.
snip
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I wonder what civilian firms are going to carry us to space?
- LRK -

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http://www.mda.mil/news/10news0002.html
10-NEWS-0002
February 11, 2010
Airborne Laser Testbed Successful in Lethal Intercept Experiment

The Missile Defense Agency demonstrated the potential use of directed
energy to defend against ballistic missiles when the Airborne Laser
Testbed (ALTB) successfully destroyed a boosting ballistic missile.
The experiment, conducted at Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare
Center-Weapons Division Sea Range off the central California coast,
serves as a proof-of-concept demonstration for directed energy
technology. The ALTB is a pathfinder for the nation’s directed energy
program and its potential application for missile defense technology.

At 8:44 p.m. (PST), February 11, 2010, 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.

This was the first directed energy lethal intercept demonstration
against a liquid-fuel boosting ballistic missile target from an
airborne platform. The revolutionary use of directed energy is very
attractive for missile defense, with the potential to attack multiple
targets at the speed of light, at a range of hundreds of kilometers,
and at a low cost per intercept attempt compared to current
technologies.

Less than one hour later, a second solid fuel short-range missile was
launched from a ground location on San Nicolas Island, Calif. and the
ALTB successfully engaged the boosting target with its High Energy
Laser, met all its test criteria, and terminated lasing prior to
destroying the second target. The ALTB destroyed a solid fuel missile,
identical to the second target, in flight on February 3, 2010.
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Does this mean we can now add to the space debris at the speed of light?
- LRK -


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http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=9815043

Flying Laser Zaps Missile in First for U.S.
Military Experiment Uses Laser on 747 off California to Destroy Target
By Jim Wolf
February 12, 2010

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A high-powered laser aboard a modified Boeing
Co 747 jumbo jet shot down an in-flight ballistic missile for the
first time, highlighting a new class of ray guns best known from
science fiction.

[ Three pages of info that copyright wise not to be redistributed so
if interested go to the link and read for yourelf. - LRK -]

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Well all of that is not about going to the Moon, but then I guess I
will have to wait and report about others doing that.
- LRK -


Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
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http://www.mda.mil/global/documents/pdf/06fyi0087.pdf
27 October 2006
Remarks by Lt Gen Obering at the Airborne Laser Rollout Celebration
Wichita, Kansas - 27 October 2006

Lt Gen Obering: Congressman Tiehart, Lt. Gov. Moore, Mr. Mayor, Mr.
Albaugh, Mr. Renard, Mr. Graham, and those who really count the most,
who get the job done, all of you.

I’m honored to be here today to express my thanks to all the members
of the Airborne Laser Team – government and contractor, military and
civilian, workers and the family members who support them – for the
extraordinary job all of you have done to reach this important
milestone in the Ballistic Missile Defense program.

You have overcome some formidable challenges to get us to where we are
today. But before I talk about that, I think it’s appropriate to step
back to ask some fundamental questions. Why have you been working so
hard? Why have many of you missed birthday celebrations, weekends, or
cut short vacations? Why is this capability needed so badly?

snip
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/12/airborne-laser-testbed-sh_n_460446.html
DEO: Airborne Laser Shoots Down Missile In First Successful Test
First Posted: 02-12-10 02:10 PM | Updated: 02-12-10 04:07 PM

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency announced that its high-powered
airborne laser successfully shot down a ballistic missile during a
recent test.

The Airborne Laser Testbed's in-air destruction of the missile took
place on Thursday evening in central California. It was the first time
the 'futuristic directed energy weapon' succeeded in shooting down a
missile during a test.
snip

Its description on YouTube reads:

A short-range threat-representative ballistic missile was launched
from an at-sea mobile launch platform. Within seconds, the Airborne
Laser Testbed (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.
snip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQwLPC5MN1U&feature=player_embedded
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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