A defense system worthy of Wile E Coyote...

[n2doc]

Boeing Airborne Laser fails second test in a row

Airborne Laser (Boeing photo)
UPDATE: As a commenter noted below, while Boeing is the prime contractor for the Airborne Laser Testbed (providing the modified Boeing 747-400 Freighter, the battle management system and overall systems integration and testing), Northrop Grumman designed and built laser and Lockheed Martin developed the beam control/fire control system.

Boeing's 747-based Airborne Laser failed its second test in a row on Thursday off the coast of central California.

"The objective of this mission was for the ALTB to destroy a solid-fuel, short-range ballistic missile while its rocket motors were still thrusting," the U.S. Missile Defense Agency reported. "Preliminary indications are that the system acquired and tracked the plume (rocket exhaust) of the target, but never transitioned to active tracking. Therefore, the high energy lasing did not occur.

"Program officials will conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the transition failure. The intermittent performance of a valve within the laser system is being examined."

A Sept. 1 a test aimed at destroying a liquid-fuel, short-range ballistic missile during its boost phase. The system detected and tracked the target, but corrupted beam control software steered the high energy laser slightly off center, forcing shutdown.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/225817.asp

[spin]

1. The problems do not appear to be insurmountable...

engineers learn from their mistakes, that is what tests are for.

[saigon68]

2. Good thing in Amerika only 49 Million need Food Stamps

</sarcasm>