Boeing test-fires anti-ballistic-missile laser

Published: Dec 30, 2005
Source: www.stltoday.com



The prospect of shooting down enemy ballistic missiles has tantalized the Pentagon for decades. But developing missile defense weapons is costly - about $100 billion has been spent on them since 1985 - and littered with failures.

Earlier this month, a program run by Boeing Co.'s defense business provided a shot in the arm to the Pentagon's quest to build a layered, national missile defense shield.

Boeing said it test-fired a laser with enough power and duration to rupture the fuel tank of a ballistic missile. The test took place in a California laboratory and cleared the way for Boeing to load the laser into the belly of a heavily modified 747 freighter jet.

The company said it is now three years away from a shoot-down demonstration. In 2008, it hopes the speed-of-light weapon will be fired in-flight from the nose turret of a 747 at a missile several hundred miles away.continue..