"ST. LOUIS , November 12, 2004 - The Boeing [NYSE: BA] Airborne Laser (ABL) team fired a laser beam for the first time using the flight laser modules in the ABL System Integration Lab at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif."
"The ABL aircraft also is conducting a series of flight tests to validate the air worthiness and functionality of the battle management and beam control/fire control (BC/FC) segments integrated on the 747-400F ABL aircraft. In addition to determining missile target location, the ABL 's adaptive optics in the BC/FC continually compensate for the atmospheric distortion and platform jitter to focus the high energy beam on the missile body, causing it to structurally fail."
Photos 1 & 2 courtesy Boeing, Photo 3 courtesy CNN Photographer Bill Parks
SATL382G From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (8 years 6 months 1 week 4 days ago) and read 2367 times:
So was this thing actually "Airborne" (as your subject line suggests) when the laser was fired? The Boeing press release was vague, only saying that the 6 modules were fired and that flight tests are underway in other areas.
Greaser From Bahamas, joined Jan 2004, 1081 posts, RR: 4 Reply 3, posted (8 years 6 months 1 week 4 days ago) and read 2365 times:
SATL, no word on that, but Boeing is conservative and probably tested it out for the first time on the ground, but you never know, as it took place at Edwards AFB, but not likely on the 747, as "The ABL aircraft also is conducting a series of flight tests to validate the air worthiness and functionality of the battle management and beam control/fire control (BC/FC) segments integrated on the 747-400F ABL aircraft."
Greaser From Bahamas, joined Jan 2004, 1081 posts, RR: 4 Reply 4, posted (8 years 6 months 1 week 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 2187 times:
Got the word, the test was conducted on Wednesday in a 747 fuselage on the ground at Edwards Air Force Base in California -- as a "landmark achievement"
Airforce1995 From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 55 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (8 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 2176 times:
The test was done on the groungd only for a fraction of a second. That "pulse" was multiplied a number times to see what the full effect would be. Should be doing engine runs on the ground and then start flying with all the "guts" and new nose installed.
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