Airborne Laser Successfully Tracks, Hits Missile

fructose writes "The Airborne Laser managed to acquire, track, and illuminate a test missile a few days ago. According to the press release, the Boeing plane 'used its infrared sensors to find a target missile launched from San Nicolas Island, Calif ... issued engagement and target location instructions to the beam control/fire control system ... fired its two solid-state illuminator lasers to track the target and ... fired a surrogate high-energy laser at the target, simulating a missile intercept.' The sensors on board the missile confirmed the 'hit.' Michael Rinn, ABL's program director, said, 'Pointing and focusing a laser beam on a target that is rocketing skyward at thousands of miles per hour is no easy task, but the Airborne Laser is uniquely able to do the job.' The next steps will be to test the high-power laser at full strength in flight and do a complete system test later this year. Its success or failure will determine whether the project gets canceled. Looks like the Real Genius fans out there are finally living the dream."

Comments

Just what we need

[grolaw]

Phasers - to attack rockets - if it is not raining...or foggy, or dusty.

Money for health care...

[IdleTime]

Mr President!

Yesterday in a Townhall meeting, you had some problems coming up with another 30 billion dollars in order to fund health care reforms. Please inform the NRA-clown who asked you the question that the 30 billion can easily be taken from the military budget seeing that the US already spends more money on the military than the rest of the world combined, reducing the budget with 20 billion from 500 billion to 470 billion would not be any problem whatsoever unless you think the socialistic program called the military is not able operate on only 470 billion dollars per year.

Canning useless systems like this laser show is a good start to reduce the budget with 30 billion!
Thank you!