Still, ALTB Group Wins Prestigious Air Force Award

The Missile Defense Agency executed the Flight Experiment Laser (FEL-01b) mission at the Point Mugu flight test range off the Southern California coast on September 1st. The objective of this mission was for the Agency's Airborne Laser Test Bed (ALTB) to destroy a liquid-fuel, short-range ballistic missile during its boost phase. During the mission the Boeing 747 flying laser laboratory detected and tracked the target. However, the experiment terminated early when corrupted beam control software steered the high energy laser slightly off center.

747 Airborne Laser Testbed File Photo

The agency is continuing to analyzing the failure. Preliminary indications are that a communication software error within the system that controls the laser beam caused misalignment of the beam. The ALTB safety system detected this shift and immediately shut down the high energy laser.

The Agency plans to resume flight experiments beginning with tests of the software repair on September 13 leading to a lethal shootdown experiment involving a solid-fuel target missile by the end of this month. A mid-October experiment is in the planning stages that will involve lasing a solid-fuel missile at three times the range of last February's successful destruction of a liquid-fuel missile.

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Even though this test was not completely successful, the Boeing Airborne Laser Test Bed (ALTB) team received the 2010 Theodore Von Karman Award at the Air Force Association’s (AFA) Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition in National Harbor on Monday. The annual award is the AFA’s highest honor in the field of science and engineering and recognizes the team’s achievements in directed energy research and development.

"It is an honor to represent Boeing’s Airborne Laser team as it is recognized for this significant industry award," said ALTB Program Manager Rich Flanders. "This is a testament to the historic breakthroughs that this program has made, and to the outstanding work of the entire team."

ALTB is being developed as an advanced platform for the Department of Defense’s directed energy research program. In February, the ALTB team made history when it shot down a ballistic missile in its boost phase. The February experiment was the first of its kind, and ALTB has successfully engaged a total of eight missiles to date. With each experiment, the team continues to make breakthroughs in the application of laser technologies -- such as advanced optics, beam control and pointing -- that are critically important to the future capabilities of U.S. warfighters and their allies.

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"The Airborne Laser team is not only a leader in the field of directed energy applications, but continues to raise the bar," AFA President Mike Dunn said at the awards ceremony. "The milestones you have already achieved prove the great potential for directed energy technologies."

Other ALTB team representatives at the event included Guy Renard, Northrop Grumman ALTB program manager, and Chris Cirves, Lockheed Martin ALTB deputy program manager. Northrop Grumman designed and built the ALTB's high-energy laser, while Lockheed Martin developed the beam control/fire control system. Boeing provided the aircraft, the battle management system and overall systems integration and testing.

FMI: www.mda.mil, www.boeing.com