zeeshuisb
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 200
- Reaction score
- 0
Boeing YAL-1
The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser (ABL) weapons system is a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified Boeing 747-400F. It is primarily designed as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs), similar to the Scud, while in boost phase. The low-power lasers have been test-fired in flight, aimed at an airborne target board. The aircraft was designated YAL-1A in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Defense. The Airborne Laser Laboratory, a less-powerful prototype installed in a Boeing NKC-135A, shot down several missiles in the 1980s.
The ABL does not burn through or disintegrate its target. It heats the missile skin, weakening it, causing failure from high speed flight stress. If proven successful, seven ABL-armed 747s will be built and assigned to two combat theaters. The aircraft were originally slated to enter service in 2008, but development has been slower and costlier than planned. The current plan calls for a prototype ABL to attempt to shoot down a test missile in 2009. Data acquired in the test will shape the final production design, which is now expected to enter service several years from now.
The ABL was designed for use against tactical ballistic missiles. TBMs have a shorter range and fly slower than ICBMs. The MDA has recently suggested the ABL might be used against ICBMs during their boost phase. This could require much longer flights to get in position, and might not be possible without flying over hostile territory. Liquid-fueled ICBMs, which have thinner skins, and remain in boost phase longer than TBMs, might be easier to destroy.
If the ABL achieves its design goals, it could destroy liquid-fueled ICBMs up to 600 km away. Tougher solid-fueled ICBM destruction range would likely be limited to 300 km, too short to be useful in many scenarios, according to a 2003 report by the American Physical Society on National Missile Defense.
Use against other targets
In theory, the ABL could be used against hostile fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, or even low-earth-orbit satellites (see anti-satellite weapon). However, as they are not its intended target, the capability against them is unknown. The ABL infrared target acquisition system is designed to detect the hot exhaust of TBMs in boost phase. Satellites and other aircraft could have a much lower heat signature making them more difficult to detect. An analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists discusses potential ABL use against low earth orbit satellites.
Use against ground targets seems unlikely. Aside from the difficulty of acquiring and tracking a ground target, firing through the dense atmosphere would weaken the beam. Ground targets such as armored vehicles are not fragile enough to be damaged by a megawatt-class laser. Another program, the Advanced Tactical Laser envisions air-to-ground use of a megawatt-class laser mounted on an aircraft better suited for low altitude flight.
COIL
The heart of the system is the COIL, comprised of six interconnected modules, each as large as an SUV turned on-end. Each module weighs about 6,500 pounds (3,000 kg). When fired, the laser produces enough energy in a five-second burst to power a typical American household for more than an hour.
Development
The program was initiated by the Air Force in 1996 with the awarding of a product definition risk reduction contract to Boeing's ABL team. In 2001, the program was transferred to the MDA and converted to an acquisition program.
The development of the system is being accomplished by a team of contractors. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems provides the aircraft, the management team and the systems integration processes. Northrop Grumman is supplying the COIL, and Lockheed Martin is supplying the nose turret and the fire control system.
In 2001, a retired Air India 747-200 was acquired by the Air Force, and trucked without its wings from the Mojave Airport to Edwards Air Force Base where the airframe was incorporated into the System integration Laboratory (SIL) building at Edwards' Birk Flight Test Center, to be used to fit check and test the various components. The SIL was built primarily to test the COIL at a simulated operational altitude, and during that phase of the program, the laser was operated over 50 times, achieving lasing durations representative of actual operational engagements. These tests fully qualified the system so that it can be integrated into the actual aircraft. Following the completion of the tests, the laboratory is being dismantled, and the 747-200 fuselage is being removed.
Boeing completed initial modifications to a new 747-400F off the production line in 2002, culminating in its first flight on July 18, 2002 from Boeing's Wichita, Kansas facility. Ground testing of the COIL resulted in its successful firing in 2004. The YAL-1 was assigned to the 417th Flight Test Squadron Airborne Laser Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB.
Besides the COIL, the system also includes two kilowatt-class Target Illuminator Lasers for target tracking. On March 15, 2007, the YAL-1 successfully fired this laser in flight, hitting its target. The target was an NC-135E Big Crow test aircraft that has been specially modified with a "signboard" target on its fuselage. The test validated the system's ability to track an airborne target and measure and compensate for atmospheric distortion.
The next phase in the test program involved the "surrogate high-energy laser" (SHEL), a stand-in for the COIL, and will demonstrate the transition from target illumination to simulated weapons firing. As of July 2008, the COIL system is installed in the aircraft and is undergoing ground testing.
Russian Beriev A-60
The Beriev A-60 was a Soviet airborne laser laboratory aircraft based on the Ilyushin Il-76MD transport.
In the 1970's a special aviation complex was established by the Soviets at Taganrog machine-building factory headed by George Dimitrova, to develop airborne laser technology for the Soviet military.
In 1977, in OKB, G.M. Berieva began the creation of a flying laboratory designated '1А'. The purpose was to solve the complex scientific and engineering problems regarding the creation of an airborne laser and also to facilitate research on the distribution of beams in the top layers of an atmosphere. Work on this topic occurred with wide cooperation between the enterprises and the scientific organizations of the USSR, but the basic partner OKB was TSKB "Diamond" which was headed by B.V.Bunkin.
The Il-76MD aircraft was the carrier aircraft for creation of the flying laboratory. In order to accom odate the laser flying laboratory a lot of changes was done on the basic Il-76 design . The modifications drastically changed the appearance of the plane.
In front, the regular nosecone was refitted with steerable beam director turret for laser firing (Several years later Boeing used similar concept in YAL platform).
Another special feature (equipment cluster) located on each side of the fuselage under the turbo-generators, used a unique power supply system which ensured its functionality.
The shutters of the cargo hatch were removed and the hatch was sewn up. It was also necessary to remove the doors and the forward emergency exits.
The tail gunner position was also removed.
The top of the fuselage between the wing and Kiel had been cut out and replaced by huge shutters consisting of several segments.(unknown utility)
Hence the problem of accommodating the laser gun was solved and it did not spoil the aerodynamics of the base aircraft. Little is known about the type of laser used in the system. Much of the system still remains a secret.
The first flight of the flying laboratory '1А' was on August 19th, 1981. The crew was headed by test pilot E.A. Lakhmostovym.
On August 29th, 1991, the crew led by test pilot V.P. Demyanovskim flew the second flying laboratory which received the name '1А2' СССР-86879 in air. On her board, a new variant of a laser system was added as a result of various tests on '1А'.
The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser (ABL) weapons system is a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified Boeing 747-400F. It is primarily designed as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs), similar to the Scud, while in boost phase. The low-power lasers have been test-fired in flight, aimed at an airborne target board. The aircraft was designated YAL-1A in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Defense. The Airborne Laser Laboratory, a less-powerful prototype installed in a Boeing NKC-135A, shot down several missiles in the 1980s.
The ABL does not burn through or disintegrate its target. It heats the missile skin, weakening it, causing failure from high speed flight stress. If proven successful, seven ABL-armed 747s will be built and assigned to two combat theaters. The aircraft were originally slated to enter service in 2008, but development has been slower and costlier than planned. The current plan calls for a prototype ABL to attempt to shoot down a test missile in 2009. Data acquired in the test will shape the final production design, which is now expected to enter service several years from now.
The ABL was designed for use against tactical ballistic missiles. TBMs have a shorter range and fly slower than ICBMs. The MDA has recently suggested the ABL might be used against ICBMs during their boost phase. This could require much longer flights to get in position, and might not be possible without flying over hostile territory. Liquid-fueled ICBMs, which have thinner skins, and remain in boost phase longer than TBMs, might be easier to destroy.
If the ABL achieves its design goals, it could destroy liquid-fueled ICBMs up to 600 km away. Tougher solid-fueled ICBM destruction range would likely be limited to 300 km, too short to be useful in many scenarios, according to a 2003 report by the American Physical Society on National Missile Defense.
Use against other targets
In theory, the ABL could be used against hostile fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, or even low-earth-orbit satellites (see anti-satellite weapon). However, as they are not its intended target, the capability against them is unknown. The ABL infrared target acquisition system is designed to detect the hot exhaust of TBMs in boost phase. Satellites and other aircraft could have a much lower heat signature making them more difficult to detect. An analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists discusses potential ABL use against low earth orbit satellites.
Use against ground targets seems unlikely. Aside from the difficulty of acquiring and tracking a ground target, firing through the dense atmosphere would weaken the beam. Ground targets such as armored vehicles are not fragile enough to be damaged by a megawatt-class laser. Another program, the Advanced Tactical Laser envisions air-to-ground use of a megawatt-class laser mounted on an aircraft better suited for low altitude flight.
COIL
The heart of the system is the COIL, comprised of six interconnected modules, each as large as an SUV turned on-end. Each module weighs about 6,500 pounds (3,000 kg). When fired, the laser produces enough energy in a five-second burst to power a typical American household for more than an hour.
Development
The program was initiated by the Air Force in 1996 with the awarding of a product definition risk reduction contract to Boeing's ABL team. In 2001, the program was transferred to the MDA and converted to an acquisition program.
The development of the system is being accomplished by a team of contractors. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems provides the aircraft, the management team and the systems integration processes. Northrop Grumman is supplying the COIL, and Lockheed Martin is supplying the nose turret and the fire control system.
In 2001, a retired Air India 747-200 was acquired by the Air Force, and trucked without its wings from the Mojave Airport to Edwards Air Force Base where the airframe was incorporated into the System integration Laboratory (SIL) building at Edwards' Birk Flight Test Center, to be used to fit check and test the various components. The SIL was built primarily to test the COIL at a simulated operational altitude, and during that phase of the program, the laser was operated over 50 times, achieving lasing durations representative of actual operational engagements. These tests fully qualified the system so that it can be integrated into the actual aircraft. Following the completion of the tests, the laboratory is being dismantled, and the 747-200 fuselage is being removed.
Boeing completed initial modifications to a new 747-400F off the production line in 2002, culminating in its first flight on July 18, 2002 from Boeing's Wichita, Kansas facility. Ground testing of the COIL resulted in its successful firing in 2004. The YAL-1 was assigned to the 417th Flight Test Squadron Airborne Laser Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB.
Besides the COIL, the system also includes two kilowatt-class Target Illuminator Lasers for target tracking. On March 15, 2007, the YAL-1 successfully fired this laser in flight, hitting its target. The target was an NC-135E Big Crow test aircraft that has been specially modified with a "signboard" target on its fuselage. The test validated the system's ability to track an airborne target and measure and compensate for atmospheric distortion.
The next phase in the test program involved the "surrogate high-energy laser" (SHEL), a stand-in for the COIL, and will demonstrate the transition from target illumination to simulated weapons firing. As of July 2008, the COIL system is installed in the aircraft and is undergoing ground testing.
Russian Beriev A-60
The Beriev A-60 was a Soviet airborne laser laboratory aircraft based on the Ilyushin Il-76MD transport.
In the 1970's a special aviation complex was established by the Soviets at Taganrog machine-building factory headed by George Dimitrova, to develop airborne laser technology for the Soviet military.
In 1977, in OKB, G.M. Berieva began the creation of a flying laboratory designated '1А'. The purpose was to solve the complex scientific and engineering problems regarding the creation of an airborne laser and also to facilitate research on the distribution of beams in the top layers of an atmosphere. Work on this topic occurred with wide cooperation between the enterprises and the scientific organizations of the USSR, but the basic partner OKB was TSKB "Diamond" which was headed by B.V.Bunkin.
The Il-76MD aircraft was the carrier aircraft for creation of the flying laboratory. In order to accom odate the laser flying laboratory a lot of changes was done on the basic Il-76 design . The modifications drastically changed the appearance of the plane.
In front, the regular nosecone was refitted with steerable beam director turret for laser firing (Several years later Boeing used similar concept in YAL platform).
Another special feature (equipment cluster) located on each side of the fuselage under the turbo-generators, used a unique power supply system which ensured its functionality.
The shutters of the cargo hatch were removed and the hatch was sewn up. It was also necessary to remove the doors and the forward emergency exits.
The tail gunner position was also removed.
The top of the fuselage between the wing and Kiel had been cut out and replaced by huge shutters consisting of several segments.(unknown utility)
Hence the problem of accommodating the laser gun was solved and it did not spoil the aerodynamics of the base aircraft. Little is known about the type of laser used in the system. Much of the system still remains a secret.
The first flight of the flying laboratory '1А' was on August 19th, 1981. The crew was headed by test pilot E.A. Lakhmostovym.
On August 29th, 1991, the crew led by test pilot V.P. Demyanovskim flew the second flying laboratory which received the name '1А2' СССР-86879 in air. On her board, a new variant of a laser system was added as a result of various tests on '1А'.
