Monday, January 25, 2010

Video: Airborne Laser Tracks and Engages A Missile in Flight



From Popular Science:

Remember the Airborne Laser (ABL), the jumbo-jet-mounted chemical laser weapon designed to knock hostile missiles out of the air in mid-flight? The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has released a video of this futuristic system in action, tracking and engaging a test missile fired from San Nicolas Island off the California coast. While the video might come off just a bit anti-climactic, with no dramatic explosion to cap off the laser blast, it does prove one key thing: the system, at least if the video is to be believed, actually works.

Read more ....

My Comment: I have to assume that the video is accurate (even if it was probably taken under controlled conditions) .... if it was not I am sure that critics of the program would be yelling to anyone who would listen right now.

Having said that, I recall how critics were calling this program "mission impossible" 25 years ago. Hmmmm .... 25 years later and billions spent .... I guess nothing is no longer impossible.

2 comments:

elgatoso said...

The system works but is too expensive.Thhe chamical laser is a dead end.With electric laser in the horizon the DEW should be mounted in platforms like B-1 or F-35

elgatoso said...

Is supost to said "the chemical laser"