-
- The ABL weapon system will use a high-energy,
chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted on a modified 747-400F (freighter)
aircraft to shoot down theater ballistic missiles in their boost phase.
A crew of four, including pilot and copilot, will operate the airborne
laser, which will patrol in pairs at high altitude, about 40,000 feet.
The jets will fly in orbits over friendly territory, scanning the horizon
for the plumes of rising missiles. Capable of autonomous operation, the
ABL will acquire and track missiles in the boost phase of flight. A tracking
laser beam will illuminate the missile, and computers will measure the
distance and calculate its course and direction. After acquiring and locking
onto the target, a second laser - with weapons-class strength - will fire
a three- to five-second burst from a turret located in the 747's nose.
The missiles will be destroyed over the launch area.
-
- The airborne laser will fire a Chemical
Oxygen Iodine Laser, or COIL, which was invented at Phillips Lab in 1977.
The laser's fuel consists of the same chemicals found in hair bleach and
Drano - hydrogen peroxide and potassium hydroxide - which are then combined
with chlorine gas and water. The laser operates at an infrared wavelength
of 1.315 microns, which is invisible to the eye. By recycling chemicals,
building with plastics and using a unique cooling process, the COIL team
was able to make the laser lighter and more efficient while - at the same
time - increasing its power by 400 percent in five years. The flight-weighted
ABL module will be similar in performance and power levels to the multi-hundred
kilowatt class COIL Baseline Demonstration Laser (BDL-2) module demonstrated
by TRW in August 1996. As its name implies, though, it will be lighter
and more compact than the earlier version due to the integration of advanced
aerospace materials into the design of critical hardware components. For
the operational ABL system, several modules will be linked together in
series to achieve ABL's required megawatt-class power level.
-
- Atmospheric turbulence, which weakens
and scatters the laser's beam, is produced by fluctuations in air temperature
[the same phenomenon that causes stars to twinkle]. Adaptive optics relies
on a deformable mirror, sometimes called a rubber mirror, to compensate
for tilt and phase distortions in the atmosphere. The mirror has 341 actuators
that change at a rate of about a 1,000 per second.
-
- The Airborne Laser is a Major Defense
Acquisition Program. After the Concept Design Phase is complete, the ABL
will enter the Program Definition and Risk Reduction (PDRR) Phase. The
objective of the PDRR phase is to develop a cost effective, flexible airborne
high energy laser system which provides a credible deterrent and lethal
defensive capabilities against boosting theater ballistic missiles.
-
- The ABL PDRR Program is intended to show
high confidence system performance scalable to Engineering and Manufacturing
Development (EMD) levels. The PDRR Program includes the design, development,
integration, and testing of an airborne high-energy laser weapon system.
-
- In May 1994, two contracts were awarded
to develop fully operational ABL weapon system concepts and then derive
ABL PDRR Program concepts that are fully traceable and scaleable EMD. A
single contract team was selected to proceed with the development of the
chosen PDRR concept beginning in November 1996. Successful development
and testing of the laser module is one of the critical 'exit criteria'
that Team ABL must satisfy to pass the program's first 'authority-to-proceed'
(ATP-1) milestone, scheduled for June 1998. Testing of the laser module
is expected to be completed by April 1998. The PDRR detailed design, integration,
and test will culminate in a lethality demonstration in the year 2002.
A follow-on Engineering Manufacturing and Development/Production (EMD)
effort could then begin in the early 2003 time frame. A fleet of fully
operational EMD systems is intended to satisfy Air Combat Command's boost-phase
Theater Air Defense requirements. If all goes as planned, a fleet of seven
ABLs should be flying operational missions by 2008.
-
- Performance requirements for the Airborne
Laser Weapons System are established by the operational scenarios and support
requirements defined by the user, Air Combat Command, and by measured target
vulnerability characteristics provided by the Air Force lethality and vulnerability
community centered at the Phillips Laboratory. The ABL PDRR Program is
supported by a robust technology insertion and risk reduction program to
provide early confidence that scaling to EMD performance is feasible. The
technology and concept design efforts provide key answers to the PDRR design
effort in the areas of lethality, atmospheric characterization, beam control,
aircraft systems integration, and environmental concerns. These efforts
are the source of necessary data applied to exit criteria ensuring higher
and higher levels of confidence are progressively reached at key milestones
of the PDRR development.
-
- The key issues in the program will be
effective range of the laser and systems integration of a Boeing 747 aircraft.
-
-
- (pic here)
-
-
-
- Airborne Laser Resources
-
- The Airborne Laser Program Homepage The
ABL program is managed by the Air Force Phillips Laboratory.
-
- * Vol. 1, Number 3, July 1995 Airborne
Laser Program Newsletter * Vol. 2, Number 4, August 1996 Airborne Laser
Program Newsletter * Vol. 3, Number 1, February 1997 Airborne Laser Program
Newsletter * Vol. 3, Number 3, June 1997 Airborne Laser Program Newsletter
-
- Airborne Laser Contract An archive of
documents relating to the ABL contract and source selection process. Most
of these are excruciatingly boring contract legalese, but this represents
the major source of primary program information.
-
- Airborne Laser (ABL) for Theater Missile
Defense The Airborne Laser (ABL) program is developing design concepts
to minimize engineering risks for an airborne, high-energy laser weapon
demonstrator capable of acquiring, tracking, and killing theater ballistic
missiles in boost phase. The Airborne Laser Experiment (ABLEX) was a series
of experiments propagating a laser beam between two aircraft. Two defense
industry teams, Boeing and Rockwell International, developed design concepts
for the ABL which include a nose-mounted turret, a chemical oxygen-iodine
laser, and a 747 aircraft. At the end of the concept design phase, the
Boeing contractor team was selected to build a demonstrator that will be
flight tested.
-
- Airborne Laser (ABL) The Airborne Laser
(ABL) Demonstrator Program is an Air Force Advanced Technology Demonstration
program to develop and then demonstrate the necessary technologies to acquire,
track, and destroy theater ballistic missiles during boost phase.
-
- Phillips Laboratory Scoping Meeting For
Airborne Laser 28 March 1995 - A meeting to discuss environmental concerns
associated with the Phillips Laboratory's Airborne Laser Program was held
April 4, 1995 to solicit public input on any environmental concerns.
-
- BOEING, LOCKHEED MARTIN, TRW WIN AIRBORNE
LASER CONTRACT November 12, 1996 -- The U. S. Air Force awarded a team
of Boeing, TRW and Lockheed Martin a $1.1 billion contract to develop and
flight test a laser weapon system to defend against theater ballistic missiles.
-
- Airborne Laser @ Boeing As part of a
US Air Force effort to address the feasibility of an airborne laser system
for defense against those types of missiles, a team comprised of Boeing,
TRW and Lockheed Martin has been exploring the concept of an accurate,
airborne, high-energy laser.
-
- Airborne Laser - Rockwell Team There
were initially two teams competing for the program: the Rockwell / Hughes
/ Raytheon E-Systems / SVS R&D / Lockheed Martin / Parsons / SAIC team,
and the Boeing / Lockheed / TRW team. The Airborne Laser contract was awarded
on November 12, 1996.
-
- Laser Beam Propagation and Control SPIE
Proceedings Vol. 2120. Meeting Date: 01/23 - 01/29/94 - Abstracts for the
papers in this volume are located in this file immediately following the
contents list below. All papers are published by SPIE -- The International
Society for Optical Engineering. Includes abstracts of reports on the Airborne
laser experiment (ABLEX) series of experiments.
-
- Airborne Laser Experiment to study performance
limits of turbulence compensation systems from OE Reports December 1995
issue An interview Russell Butts, Air Force Phillips Laboratory - ABLEX
is an acronym for Airborne Laser Experiment, which was an experiment which
propagated a laser beam from one aircraft to another aircraft. At the receiver
aircraft, an 80-cm telescope and optical system imaged the intensity pattern
incident across the aperture onto a focal plane where the intensity patterns
were recorded.
-
- FTC NEGOTIATES SETTLEMENT WITH HUGHES
OVER ITEK ACQUISITION; FEBRUARY 9, 1996 - The sale of assets between one
of the partners in each of the two teams competing for a $700 million Air
Force contract could raise prices or reduce investments in technology and
quality for a critical component of an Air Force anti-missile program,
the Federal Trade Commission has alleged. Today, the FTC announced it has
reached a settlement of these allegations with General Motors and its subsidiaries,
Hughes Electronics and Hughes Danbury Optical Systems. The FTC said the
settlement will ensure continued competition for "deformable mirrors,"
part of the adaptive optics system that allow an anti-missile system to
correct for distortions in the atmosphere. The affected system is the Air
Force's Airborne Laser (ABL) program.
-
- Program Description
-
- The Boost Phase Intercept (BPI) Phase
I ACTD evaluated the affordability and assessed the operational utility
and mission effectiveness of BPI engagements of tactical ballistic missiles.
The objective was to intercept these missiles before they could deploy
submunitions or other countermeasures. Engagements were designed to occur
before the Theater Ballistic Missile (TBM) rose above the influence of
the atmosphere. In addition, early intercepts would result in a significant
shortfall in impact range of the TBM debris. This BPI capability is portrayed
in Figure 2-3. The need for BPI capability is driven by the potential for
post-boost countermeasures to the currently planned Theater Missile Defense
(TMD) systems. In addition, the intercept debris may be contained in enemy
territory during BPI engagements which is especially critical when chemical/
nuclear/biological weapons are involved. As ballistic missile capabilities
proliferate, BPI becomes an increasingly important complement to planned
TMD systems.
-
- The BPI ACTD technical approach employed
a high speed tactical missile with a kinetic kill vehicle carried on an
airbreathing platform such as the F-14 or F-15. The missile was capable
of velocities in excess of 3 km/s and a range of 120 km, and was designed
to be a precursor to an objective system with a 5.5 km/s velocity and a
250 km range. On-board and off-board sensors were used to detect, track,
and provide in-flight updates.
-
- Program Status
-
- The BPI Phase I was completed in fourth
quarter FY95. The joint U.S. Air Force/U.S. Navy concept of operations
(CONOPs) showed that a kinetic energy (KE) BPI system using existing missile
and kill vehicle technology was operationally and technically feasible.
The Pilot-in-the-Loop simulations demonstrated that BPI timelines are no
more stressing than current air-to-air engagements.
-
- FY95 Accomplishments
-
- The results of Phase I were presented
to the BPI study group that was convened by the Under Secretary of Defense
(AT) to assess the alternative BPI concepts. The effectiveness, costs,
and schedules were examined for systems employing the fighter based KE
BPI, a UAV-based KE BPI, an airborne laser, and a space based laser. The
results of the BPI assessment were subsequently merged into the Ballistic
Missile Defense (BMD) Program Review conducted during the first quarter
of FY96. The BMD Program Review concluded that while the fighter-based
KE BPI concept was technically feasible, it was not affordable in the current
budget environment. Based on this finding, the KE BPI ACTD did not proceed
into Phase II; however, KE BPI technology development geared to the UAV-based
concept is continuing at a very low level of funding.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Boost-Phase Intercept
-
- Boost Phase Intercept (BPI) is a concept
where a hostile Theater Ballistic Missile (TBM) is intercepted during its
boost phase of flight. During boost phase, a TBM is a relatively large
and vulnerable target; it does not maneuver and its plume/exhaust presents
a very high infrared (IR) signature. The need for BPI capability is driven
by the potential for post-boost countermeasures to the currently planned
TMD systems. The BPI concept offers several advantages. One, the lethality
challenge is greatly simplified"destruction of the TBM can be achieved
by direct hits on the target warhead or sending interceptor warhead fragments
into the target booster fuel tanks, guidance system or the rocket motor.
Two, a successful BPI campaign eases the requirements placed on a terminal
missile defense system and provides an answer to many of the measures an
enemy can adopt in order to counter terminal defenses, including the use
of decoys, penetration aids, and advanced submunitions. And three, the
TBM boost phase of flight takes place over enemy territory.
-
- Along with attack operations, Boost Phase
Intercept (BPI) concept is the only means of destroying hostile missiles
in enemy territory. The most important technologies for capable BPI engagements
are airborne surveillance and fire control radar, target detection and
classification algorithms, and interceptor kill vehicles capable of high
velocity endo and exo intercepts. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) armed
with interceptors show near term promise.
-
- The BPI Phase I ACTD evaluated the affordability
and assess the operational utility and mission effectiveness of BPI engagements.
The BPI ACTD technical approach employed a high speed tactical missile
with a kinetic kill vehicle carried on an airbreathing platform such as
the F-14 or F-15. The missile was capable of velocities in excess of 3
km/s and a range of 120 km, and was designed to be a precursor to an objective
system with a 5.5 km/s velocity and a 250 km range. On-board and off-board
sensors were used to detect, track, and provide in-flight updates. The
BPI Phase I was completed in fourth quarter FY95.
-
- A recent Israeli follow-on BPI effort
showed the feasibility and utility of using high-altitude, long endurance
UAVs to perform the missile defense mission. The effort also concluded
that such a system could be very complementary and cost effective to terminal
missile defense systems. These efforts were performed during FY94-95.
-
- The UAV-Based Boost Phase Intercept (BPI)
program covers Israeli Cooperative BPI, and US BPI. This program is a 'hedge'
for the ABL program. Conduct cooperative activities in the U.S. and Israel
to mitigate risk of developing UAV-based BPI systems. The GOI will take
the lead on risk mitigation of the interceptor while the U.S. will lead
for the Infrared Search and Track (IRST) sensor activities in other system
elements, such as BMC4I and system integration will be shared. The US and
GOI will share costs.
-
- Israeli Cooperative BPI is a joint U.S./Government
of Israel (GOI) BPI program which involves future development and refinement
(risk mitigation) of the Israeli Boost Phases Intercept System (IBIS) concept
which is planned to destroy tactical ballistic missiles in the boost phase
of flight, before engine cutoff, preferably while in enemy territory. This
project is based on the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) armed with
on-board interceptors to provide the means of destroying enemy missiles
in their boosting phase of flight. The first task of this two part project
will provide risk mitigation in the development of the GOI's UAV BPI.
-
- The U.S. UAV-based BPI system concept
develops the system requirements for the total concept, kinetic energy
interceptors, UAVs, search and track sensors, Battle Management, Command,
Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (BMC4I), and the concept
of operations (CONOPS) based on readily available U.S. technologies.
-
-
-
-
- Sources and Resources
-
- * FY98 PEDS 0603870C Boost Phase Intercept
Theater Missile Defense Concept Development * FY97 PEDS Project 1294 UAV-Based
Boost Phase Intercept * Boost Phase Intercept Phase I ACTD * Boost Phase
Intercept Phase I ACTD
-
-
- A (U) MISSION DESCRIPTION AND BUDGET
ITEM JUSTIFICATION:
-
- (U) The UAV-Based Boost Phase Intercept
(BPI) program covers two tasks; Task 1: Israeli Cooperative BPI, and Task
2: US BPI. Task 1: Israeli Cooperative BPI is a joint U.S./Government of
Israel (GOI) BPI program which involves future development and refinement
(risk mitigation) of the Israeli Boost Phases Intercept System (IBIS) concept
which is planned to destroy tactical ballistic missiles in the boost phase
of flight, before engine cutoff, preferably while in enemy territory. This
project is based on the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) armed with
on-board interceptors to provide the means of destroying enemy missiles
in their boosting phase of flight. The first task of this two part project
will provide risk mitigation in the development of the GOI's UAV BPI. Task
2 of this effort develops a U.S. UAV-based BPI system concept. It will
develop the system requirements for the total concept, kinetic energy interceptors,
UAVs, search and track sensors, Battle Management, Command, Control, Communications,
Computers and Intelligence (BMC4I), and the concept of operations (CONOPS)
based on readily available U.S. technologies.
-
- (U) PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PLANS:
-
- (U) Along with attack operations, Boost
Phase Intercept (BPI) concept is the only means of destroying hostile missiles
in enemy territory. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) armed with interceptors
show significant near term promise. A recent Israeli follow-on BPI effort
showed the feasibility and utility of using high-altitude, long endurance
UAVs to perform the missile defense mission. The effort also concluded
that such a system could be very complementary and cost effective to terminal
missile defense systems. These efforts were performed during FY94-95 under
another Program Element. Efforts to develop U.S. UAV-based BPI requirements
began in FY96.
-
- (U) FY 1995 Plans and Accomplishment:
-
- o N/A
-
- (U) FY 1996 Plans:
-
- o ($9.706M) UAV-based BPI: Develop U.S.
requirements and concept for UAV-based kinetic energy BPI. Generate and
evaluate U.S. technologies available for a UAV platform, interceptor, and
search and track systems. Develop related Battle Management, Command, Control,
Communications, Computers and Intelligence Technologies. Analyze available
UAVs and develop requirements. Develop preliminary CONOPS for a US UAV
concept. Work with the Israelis in a cooperative risk mitigation effort
in the areas of interceptors, sensors, and BMC4I.
-
- (U) FY 1997 Plans:
-
- o ($9.296M) UAV-based BPI: Continue the
risk mitigation effort with the GOI and initiate interoperability efforts.
Develop key lightweight interceptor seeker and control system technologies.
Demonstrate Battle Management, Command, Control, Communications, Computers
and Intelligence (BMC4I) Technologies. Validate U.S. UAV-based BPI missile
defense performance parameters through simulations and wargaming. Analyze
Technical issues associated with U.S. and Israeli UAV-BPI concepts including
lethality. Finalize a U.S. UAV-based BPI configuration
-
- FY 1998 Plans:
-
- o ($9.436M) UAV-based BPI: Demonstrate
a search, launch detection, tracking and discrimination capability. Demonstrate
key UAV performance and command and control parameters to satisfy UAV-based
BPI requirements. Develop a proof-of-concept demonstration plan.
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