ABL First Flight - July 18, 2002
I wonder if this is being rushed for use against Iraq. After all, this video is 6 months old, could they have finished installing the laser and preped it for use already?
Hopper
EDIT:
System Description:
High-energy chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) carried aboard a modified Boeing 747-400F freighter. Capable of autonomous operation at altitudes above the clouds, the Airborne Laser (ABL) will locate and track missiles in the boost phase of their flight, then accurately point and fire the high-energy laser, destroying enemy missiles near their launch areas. The Air Force envisions a fleet of seven ABL aircraft, rapidly deployable anywhere around the globe to provide a strong deterrent to any potential use of ballistic missiles.
I wonder if this is being rushed for use against Iraq. After all, this video is 6 months old, could they have finished installing the laser and preped it for use already?
Hopper
EDIT:
System Description:
High-energy chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) carried aboard a modified Boeing 747-400F freighter. Capable of autonomous operation at altitudes above the clouds, the Airborne Laser (ABL) will locate and track missiles in the boost phase of their flight, then accurately point and fire the high-energy laser, destroying enemy missiles near their launch areas. The Air Force envisions a fleet of seven ABL aircraft, rapidly deployable anywhere around the globe to provide a strong deterrent to any potential use of ballistic missiles.
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