US Air Force ABL YAL 1A Airborne Laser

http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/abl/

Key Data
Aircraft
Boeing 747-400F
Engines
4 x GE engines, type CF6-80C2BSF
Laser Type
Megawatt Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL)
Laser Wavelength
1.315 microns
Full specifications

The US Air Force airborne laser, (ABL),

designated YAL-1A, is a high-energy laser
weapon system for the destruction of
tactical theatre ballistic missiles, which is
carried on a modified Boeing 747-400F
freighter aircraft.
Expand Image
The ABL is being developed by the Air The US Air Force Airborne Laser, (ABL),
Force Research Laboratory and Team ABL, designated YAL-1A, is a high-energy
comprising Boeing, TRW (now Northrop laser weapon system for the
Grumman Space Technologies) and destruction of tactical theatre ballistic
Lockheed Martin. missiles.

Boeing is responsible for programme

management, systems integration, battle
management system and modification of
the 747-400F aircraft. TRW Inc is building
the laser systems.
Expand Image
Lockheed Martin Space Systems is
The missile plume is detected by the
responsible for the target acquisition and
ABL aircraft's infrared detection
beam control systems.
system at ranges up to several hundred
kilometres.
"YAL-1A, is a high-energy laser weapon
system for the destruction of tactical
theatre ballistic missiles."

The US Missile Defense Agency

(previously called the Ballistic Missile
Defence Organisation) is responsible for
the management of the program and it is
Expand Image
executed by the USAF from Kirtland AFB
Boeing has concluded a series of wind
in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
tunnel tests on a model of a modified
747-400F freighter.
In 1996, the Department of Defense
awarded Team ABL a $1.1bn Programme
Definition and Risk Reduction (PDRR)
contract for the development and test of
an airborne laser weapon system. During
tests at TRW's Capistrano test site in
1998, the laser demonstration module
achieved a power level 10% higher than
the requirement. In April 2000 the ABL
final critical design review was completed.

Modification of the aircraft, involving

installation of the turret in the aircraft's Expand Image
nose and modifications to accept the The FLM testing one of several risk
laser, optics and computer hardware, was reduction activities that Team ABL,
completed in May 2002. Boeing, Northrop Grumman Space
Technologies and Lockheed Martin
In July 2002, the modified aircraft took have conducted.
the first of a series of test flights. After
receiving airworthiness certification, the
aircraft was flown to Edwards Air Force
Base, California, in December 2002, for
the installation of systems. The aircraft
returned to airworthiness flight testing in
December 2004 following installation of
the beam control / fire control system. Expand Image
ABL team systems engineers examine
In November 2004, all six modules of the exhaust ports on the underside of a
COIL laser were successfully fired for the 747-400F freighter model.
first time. In August 2005, the ABL
completed a series of flight tests
demonstrating the performance of the
beam and flight control systems. The BILL
laser was delivered in January 2006.

In February 2007, the ABL began a series

of flight tests, which included the first in-
flight firing of the TILL targeting laser at a
simulated target, in March 2007.

This was followed by flight tests of the

BILL illuminating laser and tests of TILL,
BILL and a surrogate high-energy laser
(SHEL) low-power laser. Installation of the
six COIL laser modules was completed in
February 2008. The first firing ('first light')
of the COIL laser took place in September
2008. The test lasted less than a second
and is being followed by further ground
Expand Image
Lockheed Martin and Northrop
Grumman Space Technologies working
on a scaled laser beam control system
built by Lockheed Martin Missiles &
Space. It demonstrates the functional
performance needed for the Air Force's
Airborne Laser (ABL).
tests of increased duration and power. In
November 2008, the COIL laser was fired
and focused through the beam control /
fire control system. Missile intercept
testing will start in August 2009.

"The ABL aircraft carries the COIL laser Expand Image

which generates the killer laser beam." Boeing is also developing the ABL
battle management system and
ABL systems carrying out the modification of the
Boeing 747-400 aircraft.
The ABL aircraft carries the COIL laser
which generates the killer laser beam, an
infrared surveillance and high speed
target acquisition system and a high
precision laser target tracking beam
control system.

The laser weapon uses three laser beam

systems: the powerful killing laser beam
or primary beam, a set of illuminating
laser beams and a beacon laser.

The primary laser beam is generated by a

megawatt chemical oxygen iodine laser
(COIL) located at the rear of the fuselage,
which lases at 1.315 micron wavelength.
The high-power laser beam travels
towards the front of the aircraft through a
pipe. The pipe passes through a Station
1000 bulkhead / airlock, which separates
the rear fuselage from the forward cabins.
The high-power beam passes through the
fine beam control system mounted on a
vibration isolated optical bench. Beam
pointing is achieved with very fast,
lightweight steering mirrors, which are
tilted to follow the target missile.

A low-power, multiple beam, track

illuminating laser (TILL), being developed
by Raytheon Electronic Systems, is used
to determine the target's range and
provides initial information on the
atmosphere through which the beam is
being transmitted. The illuminating laser
tracks the target and provides aiming data
for the primary beam.

The beacon illuminating laser (BILL) has

been developed by Northrop Grumman
Space Technology. The kilowatt class BILL
reflects light from the target to provide
data on the rapidly changing
characteristics of the atmosphere along
the path of the laser beam. This data is
used to control a set of deformable
mirrors in the beam control system. The
mirrors introduce tailored distortions into
the COIL laser beam to compensate for
atmospheric distortions and allow the
COIL laser beam to fall on the target.

Operation

The ABL is designed to detect and destroy

theatre ballistic missiles in the powered
boost phase of flight immediately after
missile launch while the aircraft loiters at
an altitude of 40,000ft.

Missile launch is detected by a

reconnaissance system such as satellite or
airborne warning and control system
(AWACS) aircraft and threat data is
transmitted to the ABL aircraft by Link 16
communications.

"The primary laser beam is generated by

a megawatt chemical oxygen iodine laser
(COIL)."

A suite of infrared, wide-field telescopes

installed along the length of the aircraft's
fuselage detects the missile plume at
ranges up to several hundred kilometres.

The pointing and tracking system tracks

the missile and provides launch and
predicted impact locations. The turret at
the nose of the aircraft swivels towards
the target and a 1.5m telescope mirror
system inside the nose focuses the laser
beam onto the missile. The laser beam
locks onto the missile, which is destroyed
near its launch area within seconds of
lock-on.

Where the missile carries liquid fuel, the

laser can heat a spot on the missile's fuel
tank, causing an increase in internal
pressure resulting in catastrophic failure.
Alternatively, the missile is heated in an
arc around its circumference and crumples
under atmospheric drag force or its own
g-force.
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