By Ann Roosevelt

The Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Airborne Laser Test Bed (ALTB) failed to destroy a target missile when its laser beam shut down before destroying the target missile in the latest test of the directed energy system developed to destroy hostile missiles in the boost phase, the agency said.

“Program officials will conduct an extensive investigation to determine the cause of the failure to destroy the target missile,” a Sept. 1 MDA statement said.

MDA said ALTB did successfully track and initiate an engagement with its high energy laser against a threat-representative short-range ballistic missile target in the boost phase. However, the laser beam “prematurely terminated” before the target was destroyed.

A modified Boeing [BA] 747-400F aircraft contains battle management, a beam control/fire control system, sensors and the high energy Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL).

Earlier this year, the ALTB successfully demonstrated the potential use of directed energy to defend against ballistic missile threats by destroying a boosting ballistic missile target (Defense Daily, Feb. 11). It was the first directed energy intercept test against a liquid fueled target from an air platform, MDA said at the time.

MDA has no plans to produce more such aircraft, and the federal budget for 2011 moves the former airborne laser to a research program under the Director of Defense Research and Engineering.

Since that move, the ALTB has been working to expand the envelope of the speed-of-light capability in support of missile defense.

This most recent test was conducted at Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center-Weapons Division Sea Range off the central California coast.

The ALTB test was previously twice delayed in August. The Aug. 21 test was postponed due to a hot bypass valve on the aircraft, which impeded proper cooling. The Aug. 24 experiment was delayed because of unsuccessful tracking beam calibration engagements by the ALTB against an airborne diagnostic aircraft, acting as a surrogate target. Such calibrations had to be successfully completed before firing the aircraft’s main laser beam.

Boeing is the ALTB prime contractor, providing the plane, battle management system and overall systems integration and testing. Northrop Grumman [NOC] designed and built the COIL, and Lockheed Martin [LMT] developed the beam control/fire control system.