Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

data for: U.S. Air Force aircraft equipped with laser weapons off
data for: U.S. anti-missile defense weapon system diagram

trainee newspaper reporter/Weidong Xu

U.S. Department of Defense Missile Defense Bureau and the Boeing Company announced on August 13, in a test earlier this month, jointly developed an airborne laser system, “successfully tracked and destroyed a” state of the target missile in flight. This airborne laser gun from the modified Boeing 747 aircraft, can masquerade as civil aviation flights airspace near the hostile country, in its initial stage ballistic missile intercept tactics to achieve the best effect, can effectively compensate for sea-based and subgrade anti-missile system deficiencies. Some media said that this can be seen as President Reagan’s “Star Wars” of the reduced version.

target missiles without countermeasures

According to Canada’s “Global Studies” Web site reported on August 19, August 10, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the use of machine airborne laser system successfully intercepted from St. Nicholas Island, California, launched the target missile. This is the first use of the Missile Defense Agency “is equipped with recording instruments,” the missile test laser gun. This fall, the airborne laser gun to the next stage of testing, trying to destroy a real ballistic missile.

early as 1983, the U.S. Air Force had installed in the Boeing 707 aircraft used on the laser transmitter and destroyed from the A-7 “pirate” attack aircraft fired on a 5 “Sidewinder” air- missiles. In addition, Boeing has also implemented the “advanced tactical laser” project, using slightly smaller than the Boeing 747 a C-130 military transport plane carrying platform as the development of a ground target with a laser attack as the targeted machine. In 1996, the United States formally began the development of airborne laser anti-missile weapons, and their integration into the missile defense system.

airborne laser system’s biggest advantage is that it can be installed on Boeing aircraft lasers, launch high-power laser beam to destroy the enemy is in the boost phase ballistic missiles in this release will be hit before the bait, it simply does not make any counter-measures. In addition, ballistic missiles in the boost phase of flight, the rocket warhead and not to promote separation of the target larger, easily detect and intercept, was shot down enemy missiles will fall within the wreckage.

can be disguised as “plane” patrolling

U.S. Missile Defense Agency said, still able to destroy intercontinental ballistic missiles in the boost phase performance of the machine airborne laser gun with a sense of strategic weapons. “Wall Street Journal,” also believes that the airborne laser gun will be built along with future U.S. space weapons defense.

boost phase ballistic missile to destroy the actual operation is extremely difficult, not only close to each other to deploy the missile launch sites, but also in a very short period of time to complete target recognition, guidance, attacks and other steps, the use of sea-and land-based platforms is difficult to accomplish this task. The airborne laser gun can be mobile deployment, and high accuracy, can be a potential target area on a regular basis in the cruise, as first-line anti-missile sentries.

In addition, the airborne laser gun and a “innate” superiority. The system is in the civilian Boeing 747 improved on the base, and the world’s civil aviation system in many countries are using this aircraft. “Global Studies” Web site suggests, which makes Boeing 747 equipped with laser guns can be disguised as civilian flights to fool enemy radar surveillance systems, missile launching surprise against the enemy.

But some analysts have pointed out that the U.S. Although airborne laser systems have begun to take anti-missile capability, but also have birth defects. First, the U.S. military hopes the Airborne Laser boost phase system to intercept ballistic missiles, which requires interceptors close to the defense tight airspace. Boeing 747 aircraft is too large, it is easy to become each other’s fire fighters and air defense targets. Second, the current laser technology is not mature enough, a huge energy airborne laser system, the actual combat time will be limited electricity supply. Therefore, the U.S. airborne laser system can only land-based and sea-based missile defense system as a supplement to the “relatively safe” airspace in order to play the actual combat effectiveness.