YAL 1A anti-missile laser

AL 1A anti-missile laser is also known as "peace through light"


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The Boeing YAL-1A Airborne Laser (ABL) weapons system, designated , is a megawatt class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) primarily designed to shoot down Tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs) similar to the Scud while in boost phase. The laser system is fitted to a heavily modified Boeing 747-400F freighter and is still in the test period. The laser has been test fired on the ground but not yet in flight. However a much less powerful early flying prototype successfully shot down several missiles in the 1980s. It was called the Airborne Laser Laboratory, and was a technological pathfinder for the ABL.

The ABL system uses infrared sensors to initially detect the missile. Then three lower power tracking lasers calculate the missile's course and speed, aimpoint, and measure atmospheric turbulence. Atmospheric turbulence deflects and distorts light, so the measured turbulence is used by the ABL adaptive optics system to compensate. After that the main laser is fired for 3 to 5 seconds from a turret located on the aircraft's nose, causing the missile to break up in flight near its launch area. The ABL is not designed to intercept TBMs in the terminal, or descending phase. Thus the ABL must be within a few hundred kilometers of the missile launch point.

In theory the ABL could be used against hostile fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, or even low earth orbit satellites (see Anti-satellite weapon). However those are not its intended target and the capability against those is unknown. The ABL infrared target acquisition system is designed to detect the bright, hot exhaust of TBMs in boost phase. Satellites and other aircraft would have a much lower heat signature and possibly be harder to detect. This analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists discusses potential ABL use against low earth orbit satellites: ASAT Capability of US Missile Defense Systems.

Effective use against ground targets seems very unlikely. Aside from the difficulty of acquiring and tracking a ground target, firing downward through the dense atmosphere would significantly weaken the beam. Also, most ground targets are not fragile enough to damage with a megawatt-class laser.

wikipedia.com