Two Northrop Grumman Laser Systems Help Airborne Laser Testbed Turn Science Fiction Into Fact

February 12, 2010 by Jeffrey Bradford · Comment
Filed under: Boeing, Syndicated Industry News 
Two Northrop Grumman Laser Systems Help Airborne Laser Testbed Turn Science Fiction Into Fact
February 12, 2010

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. – Feb.12, 2010 – The Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) transitioned from science fiction to directed energy fact Feb. 11 when it put a lethal amount of 'light on target' to destroy a boosting ballistic missile with help from a megawatt-class laser developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC).

While ballistic missiles like the one ALTB destroyed move at speeds of about 4,000 miles per hour, they are no match for a super-heated, high-energy laser beam racing towards it at 670 million mph. The basketball-sized beam was focused on the foreign military asset, as the missile is called officially, for only a few seconds before a stress fracture developed, causing the target to catastrophically split into multiple pieces.

"This experiment shows the incredible potential for directed energy as a premier element in early or ascent phase missile defense,"
said Steve Hixson, vice president of Space and Directed Energy Systems for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. "The demonstration
leaves no doubt whatsoever about ALTB's unprecedented mobility, precision and lethality," he added. Hixson is a former ALTB program manager for the company.

Northrop Grumman executives said the high-energy Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser the company provides – the most powerful laser ever
developed for an airborne environment – performed reliably once again with other critical capabilities onboard the U.S. Missile Defense
Agency's ALTB. This includes the low-power, solid-state Beacon Illuminator Laser for atmospheric compensation, a targeting laser Northrop Grumman also supplies for the ALTB system.

"The continued dependable and consistent performance of both laser systems is the result of our dedicated team and its unwavering commitment to develop game-changing technology for our military forces," said Guy Renard, Northrop Grumman's ALTB program manager. "The impressive progress made by the government and industry team during the last three-and-a-half years could not have culminated any more dramatically than this successful experiment."

The experiment, a proof-of-concept demonstration, was the first directed energy lethal intercept demonstration against a liquid-fuel
boosting ballistic missile target from an airborne platform.

Northrop Grumman is under contract to The Boeing Company, ALTB's prime contractor, for the two laser systems. The ALTB is a
modified Boeing 747-400F whose back half holds the high-energy laser. The front section of the aircraft contains the beam control/fire
control system, developed by Lockheed Martin, and the battle management system, provided by Boeing.

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U.A.E. PATRIOT Contract Spillover

February 12, 2010 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: Companies, Contract Awards, Countries, Raytheon, UAE, missile defense, production program 

It has been reported that as part of Raytheon’s contract to build PATRIOT air and missile defense systems for the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) a contract was awarded to Beckwood Services of New Hampshire. The manufacturer of sub-components for electrical mechanical systems will have to grow its work force to support this contract.

U.A.E. signed last year a big deal for PATRIOT and THAAD systems to provide defense of itself. The presumed threat is Iran which has been investing in short ranged ballistic missiles. U.A.E. has been investing billions on its military

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Brownback Lauds Successful Airborne Laser Test — Press Release

June 12, 2009 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: Boeing, Business Line, Companies, Congress, Department of Defense, Events, Kansas, MDA, Military Aviation, Services, States, development program, missile defense 

Brownback Lauds Successful Airborne Laser Test

Congratulates Missile Defense Agency, industry team on successful in-flight test of laser tracking system

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today commented on successful tests of the Airborne Laser tracking system over the weekend. “The ABL continues to make history,” Brownback said. “Last Saturday, for the first time, a boosting missile was tracked by lasers able to compensate for atmospheric conditions and remain locked on target for an extended period of time.”

The Airborne Laser is a modified Boeing 747 that carries laser systems designed to track and destroy ballistic missiles during the early, or boost, stages of flight. The ABL consists of three lasers, a tracking laser, an environmental laser that compensates for atmospheric variables, and a weaponized laser, all working in conjunction to track and destroy missiles in their boost phase. The successful test was conducted this weekend while the plane was in flight and was able to continuously track a launched missile.

Brownback continued, “I want to congratulate the Missile Defense Agency and its industry partners on this test. Every day, their hard work brings us a step closer to having a boost phase defense against ballistic missile threats. Especially with North Korea’s recent provocative behavior, ABL’s progress is more important than ever.”

The Airborne Laser is scheduled to undergo a series of tests this summer, culminating in a full system test to shoot down a missile this fall.

STATEMENT: Michael Rinn, Boeing vice president and ABL program director:

This is the first time in history anyone has actively tracked a boosting missile with a laser while closing atmospheric compensation loops. This was done at significant ranges and for many times longer than would be required to kill the missile had the high-energy laser been used.

Additional missile engagements will fine-tune the pointing accuracy and performance of the system. This significant test is a major step toward conducting this year’s missile-intercept test, which will demonstrate the unprecedented speed, mobility, precision and lethality that ABL could provide to America’s warfighters.

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Boeing Airborne Laser Engineers Receive Missile Defense Agency Award – Press Release

April 29, 2009 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: Boeing, Business Line, Companies, Congress, Department of Defense, Events, Lockheed Martin, MDA, Military Aviation, Northrop Grumman Corp., Services, U.S. Air Force, development program, missile defense 

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2009 — Three Boeing [NYSE: BA] Airborne Laser (ABL) engineers and three of their government and industry teammates received the Technology Pioneer Award from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on March 23 for advancing technologies that would enable ABL to intercept and destroy ballistic missile threats.

MDA presented the award at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics/MDA 7th Annual Missile Defense Conference in Washington to honor the recipients’ work in developing critical technologies central to implementing high-power directed energy on ABL as a new class of powerful weaponry for the warfighter. Two critical ABL components are the high-energy laser to shoot down ballistic missiles soon after they are launched, and the beam control/fire control system that points the
laser beam while compensating for atmospheric turbulence. The laser, the beam control/fire control system and a state-of-the-art battle management suite are now integrated aboard the ABL aircraft, which underwent the largest modification to an airplane ever accomplished by Boeing. ABL is scheduled to perform a missile-intercept test this year.

“The six members of the joint government-industry team that received this prestigious award greatly deserve this recognition,” said Michael Rinn, Boeing vice president and ABL program director. “Thanks to their technical skill, teamwork and boundless dedication, we will soon be able to demonstrate the revolutionary speed, mobility, precision and lethality that the Airborne Laser could provide to America’s warfighters. ABL could change not only missile defense, but warfare in general, and these technology pioneers have blazed a path for other directed-energy weapons to follow.”

The honorees are:

* Don Clapp, ABL chief engineer and mission assurance manager, Boeing
* Jeff Hartlove, ABL deputy program manager, Northrop Grumman
* Steve Lamberson, ABL chief scientist, ABL System Program Office, MDA
* Dave Morris, ABL chief scientist and system performance manager, Boeing
* Harold Schall, ABL chief engineer for integration and testing, Boeing
* Paul Shattuck, ABL beam control/fire control chief engineer and technical director, Lockheed Martin.

Boeing is the prime contractor and overall systems integrator for ABL, which is designed to provide speed-of-light capability to destroy all classes of ballistic missiles in their boost phase of flight. ABL also has the potential to be deployed for other missions, including destroying aircraft and surface-to-air missiles.

The ABL aircraft is a modified Boeing 747-400F whose back half holds the high-energy laser, designed and built by Northrop Grumman. The front section of the aircraft contains the beam control/fire control system, developed by Lockheed Martin, and the battle management system, provided by Boeing.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

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Contact Info:
Marc Selinger
Boeing Missile Defense Systems
(703) 414-6138
marc.selinger@boeing.com

Chuck Cadena
Boeing Missile Defense Systems
(703) 872-4503
chuck.cadena@boeing.com

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Boeing Airborne Laser Team Begins Weapon System Flight Tests – Press Release

April 24, 2009 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: Boeing, Business Line, Companies, Events, Lockheed Martin, MDA, Northrop Grumman Corp., Press Releases, Services, development program, missile defense 

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., April 24, 2009 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], industry teammates and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency have begun Airborne Laser (ABL) flight tests with the entire weapon system integrated aboard the ABL aircraft.
ABL, a heavily modified Boeing 747-400F aircraft, completed its functional check flight April 21 from Edwards Air Force Base with the beam control/fire control system and the high-energy laser onboard, confirming the aircraft is airworthy, ready for more airborne tests, and on track for its missile-intercept demonstration this year. “With ABL’s return to flight, we are on the verge of fully demonstrating the unprecedented speed, mobility, precision and lethality that ABL could provide to America’s warfighters,” said
Michael Rinn, Boeing vice president and ABL program director. ABL would deter potential adversaries and provide speed-of-light capability to destroy all classes of ballistic missiles in their boost phase of flight. Eliminating missiles in their boost phase would
reduce the number of shots required by other elements of the layered ballistic missile defense system. ABL also has the potential to be employed for other missions, including destroying aircraft and surface-to-air missiles.

The program has logged many accomplishments over the past several years. In 2007, ABL completed almost 50 flight tests that demonstrated its ability to track an airborne target, measure and compensate for atmospheric conditions, and deliver a surrogate high-energy laser beam on the target. In 2008, the team completed installing the high-energy laser onboard the aircraft and, for the first time, operated the entire weapon system at high power levels. Boeing is the prime contractor and overall systems integrator for ABL, and provides the modified aircraft and battle management system.

Northrop Grumman supplies the high-energy laser, and Lockheed Martin provides the beam control/fire control system. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of
military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees
worldwide.

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Contact Info:
Marc Selinger
Boeing Missile Defense Systems
(703) 414-6138
marc.selinger@boeing.com
Chuck Cadena
Boeing Missile Defense Systems
(703) 872-4503
chuck.cadena@boeing.com

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U.S. Navy Awards AEGIS Upgrade Contract to Lockheed Martin

February 11, 2009 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: Business Line, Companies, Contract Awards, Events, Lockheed Martin, Services, U.S. Navy, production program 

NJBIZ.com reports that the U.S. Navy gave Lockheed Martin a contract to upgrade the AEGIS Weapon System installed on destroyers and cruisers. The almost $80 million contract will improve the software as well as some of the control hardware. The AEGIS system is used with versions of the STANDARD Missile to counter ballistic missiles, aircraft and other threats to ships. It has been been used since the Seventies and has had consistent upgrades over the years. The contract will allow Lockheed Martin to upgrade several ships a year slowly re-equipping the whole fleet.

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