Lockheed Martin-Built System Aims Laser in Successful Lethal Demonstration Against Ballistic Missile Target
Filed under: Lockheed Martin, Syndicated Industry News
February 12, 2010
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) announced today that the Beam Control/Fire Control system for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) successfully aimed the High Energy Laser beam in an experiment Feb. 11, in which a boosting ballistic missile target was destroyed.
In the lethal demonstration, the directed energy system aboard the modified Boeing 747-400F aircraft engaged and destroyed the threat-representative ballistic missile target shortly after it was launched from a sea-based platform in the Pacific Ocean.
The Lockheed Martin-developed Beam Control/Fire Control system focused and directed the beam generated by the Northrop Grumman-developed megawatt-class High Energy Laser, and the Battle Management System developed by Boeing, Airborne Laser Testbed prime contractor, managed the engagement.
"Shooting down a threat-representative ballistic missile target is the latest in a remarkable series of firsts that the government and industry team has achieved in demonstrating this leading-edge technology," said Doug Graham, advanced programs vice president, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. "This successful experiment validates the effectiveness of this revolutionary technology and makes it the most mature directed energy system in the world, opening the door to further new possibilities for the application of this technology."
"The Beam Control/Fire Control System has performed with outstanding results in the most demanding mission to date," said Mark Johnson, Airborne Laser Testbed program director, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. "The Beam Control/Fire Control System, which consists of a sophisticated suite of optics, low-energy lasers and software, has been rigorously tested in more than 140 flights since 2004, making technology history all along the way as a result the close partnership and dedication of the government and industry team."
The Beam Control/Fire Control System tracks the target, determines range to the target, compensates for atmospheric turbulence and focuses and directs the High Energy Laser beam. Lower-energy lasers - the Track Illuminator Laser and the Beacon Illuminator Laser - determine where to point and focus the High Energy Laser. The High Energy Laser beam passes through an optical path before exiting through the conformal window on the nose of the aircraft on its way to the target.
The Missile Defense Agency manages the Airborne Laser Testbed (formerly known as the Airborne Laser (ABL)), which is executed by the U.S. Air Force from Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, N.M. The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) provides the modified aircraft and the Battle Management System and is the overall systems integrator. Boeing's Airborne Laser Testbed industry partners are Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), which supplies the High Energy Laser and the Beacon Illuminator Laser, and Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Sunnyvale, Calif., which provides the Beam Control/Fire Control System.
Lockheed Martin is a world leader in systems integration and the development of air and missile defense systems and technologies, including the first operational hit-to-kill missile. The company makes significant contributions to most major U.S. missile defense systems and participates in several global missile defense partnerships.
Technorati Tags:
Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)
Boeing Airborne Laser Engineers Receive Missile Defense Agency Award – Press Release
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
Boeing Airborne Laser Team Begins Weapon System Flight Tests – Press Release
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.
###
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
Boeing Laser System Redeploys Quickly, Then Tracks Targets and Fires Laser – Press Release
Filed under: Boeing, Business Line, Companies, Events, Press Releases, Services, U.S. Army, development program, missile defense
Boeing Laser System Redeploys Quickly, Then Tracks Targets and Fires Laser
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., March 24, 2009 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] has successfully demonstrated its Re-Deployable High-Energy Laser System (RHELS) by quickly relocating the prototype weapon system from its Albuquerque development site to a test range, where it tracked ground and airborne targets and fired at a ground target. RHELS integrates a solid-state, thin-disk laser; an acquisition, pointing and tracking capability; beam control, fire control and thermal management systems; and a weapons operator console into a modified 40-foot-long shipping container transportable on a semitrailer.
Boeing began the two-week-long test Feb. 23 by packing up RHELS at its Albuquerque facility, moving it to a local government facility in Albuquerque and setting it up there, all in only a few hours. With the
system status re-established, RHELS then tracked in-flight aircraft and moving and stationary ground vehicles, and successfully fired its laser, hitting a remote target board on the ground. Due to test-range restrictions, the system did not fire at moving targets.
“RHELS demonstrates that a solid-state, high-energy laser weapon system can be transportable, rugged, supportable and affordable,” said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Directed Energy Systems. “RHELS drives tactical directed-energy laser systems out of the laboratory and into the hands of the warfighter. Its transportability
also means developers and warfighters have the opportunity to test this transformational, ultra-precision directed-energy weapon system at a number of ranges under varying conditions and against a diverse set of targets.”
In future tests, RHELS will fire its laser at in-flight targets and moving ground vehicles. RHELS is designed to engage rocket, artillery and mortar (RAM) projectiles, shoulder-fired missiles and unmanned aircraft, as well as a variety of ground-mobile tactical targets. RHELS is a Boeing-funded initiative to show that directed energy weapons are maturing and are relevant to today’s battlefield. It also provides key lessons for the High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD),
a truck-mounted, high-energy laser, counter-RAM weapon system that Boeing is developing for the U.S. Army.
“RHELS reduces risk for HEL TD in a controlled but realistic setting,” said Lee Gutheinz, Boeing program director for High-Energy Laser/Electro-Optical Systems. “It confirms the functionality of a compact, reliable and highly efficient laser system while maintaining future scalability to many tens of kilowatts of laser power.”
Boeing leads the way in developing high-energy laser systems for a variety of warfighter applications. These systems include Airborne Laser, Advanced Tactical Laser, HEL TD, Laser Avenger and the Tactical Relay Mirror 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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