Airborne Laser (ABL)
The United States Air Force awarded a team of Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin a $1.1 billion contract to develop and demonstrate a revolutionary laser weapon system to defend against the threat posed by theater ballistic missiles such as the Iraqi Scuds used during Desert Storm. Under the terms of the Program Definition and Risk Reduction (PDRR) contract awarded in November 1996, the three companies, working together as Team ABL, will build and test an Airborne Laser (ABL) weapon system mounted aboard a Boeing 747-400F aircraft. This system will be capable of destroying missiles carrying chemical, biological and nuclear warheads almost immediately after launch and before they would pose a threat to civilian populations and military assets. Lockheed Martin is developing the ABL Beam Control/Fire Control subsystem in Sunnyvale, CA.
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Inspection of the Turret Ball Conformal Window Low (JPG, 112.4 KB) Inspection of the Turret Ball Conformal Window High (GIF, 5.24 MB)
Caption (Conformal Window): A Lockheed Martin Space Systems engineer in the company’s Sunnyvale, Calif. facility inspects the Turret Ball Conformal Window on the Flight Turret Assembly for the Airborne Laser. The window is the exit for the High Energy Laser and exit and return window for the Beacon Illuminator and Tracker Illuminator lasers.
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Installation of Turret on the ABL 747 Low (JPG, 183.5 KB) Installation of Turret on the ABL 747 High (JPG, 1.57 MB)
Caption (Conformal Window): A Lockheed Martin Space Systems engineer in the company’s Sunnyvale, Calif. facility inspects the Turret Ball Conformal Window on the Flight Turret Assembly for the Airborne Laser. The window is the exit for the High Energy Laser and exit and return window for the Beacon Illuminator and Tracker Illuminator lasers.
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ABL Beam Control Low Resolution (JPG, 95.8 KB) ABL Beam Contol High Resolution (JPG, 1.23 MB)
Slug: Low Energy Laser Optical Alignment
The Low Energy Laser bench is where samples of the laser energy from the Airborne Laser program's High Energy Laser and Multi-Beam Illuminator Laser, as well as returns from the target, are measured to ensure proper wavefront, jitter and pointing control. Here, an engineer checks the alignment of one of the Low Energy Laser optics at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company's Sunnyvale, Calif., campus. The Airborne Laser is the first megawatt-class laser weapon system to be carried on a 747-400F aircraft, designed to autonomously detect, track and destroy hostile ballistic missiles. The Beam Control/Fire Control system developed by Lockheed Martin will accurately point and fire the laser with sufficient energy to destroy the missile while it is still in the highly vulnerable boost phase of flight ? before separation of its warheads. Photo credit: Russ Underwood, Lockheed Martin.
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ABL Turret Low Resolution (JPG, 566.9 KB) ABL Turret High Resolution (JPG, 2.13 MB)
Slug: Surrogate Turret Ball -- Shown here is a surrogate of the first fully-integrated flight turret ball for the Airborne Laser program, being prepared for end-to-end Beam Control/Fire Control system integrated testing at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company's Sunnyvale, Calif., campus. The Airborne Laser is the first megawatt-class laser weapon system to be carried on a 747-400F aircraft, designed to autonomously detect, track and destroy hostile ballistic missiles. The Beam Control/Fire Control system will accurately point and fire the laser with sufficient energy to destroy the missile while it is still in the highly vulnerable boost phase of flight - before separation of its warheads. Photo credit: Russ Underwood, Lockheed Martin
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Mini Wall of Fire Low Resolution (JPG, 121.9 KB) Mini Wall of Fire High Resolution (JPG, 2.94 MB)
Slug/photo title: Mini wall of fire
Shown here is the Multi-beam Illuminator "bench" of the Beam Control/Fire Control system for the Airborne Laser. An engineer at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company's Sunnyvale, Calif., campus is working with a low-energy tracing laser to perform optical alignment. When installed on the aircraft, the Illuminator beams will be routed through these optics before being fired out the plane's nose. The Airborne Laser is the first megawatt-class laser weapon weapon system to be carried on a 747-400F aircraft, designed to autonomously detect, track and destroy hostile ballistic missiles. The Beam Control/Fire Control system developed by Lockheed Martin will accurately point and fire the laser with sufficient energy to destroy the missile while it is still in the highly vulnerable boost phase of flight ? before separation of its warheads. Photo credit: Russ Underwood, Lockheed Martin.
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Wall of FIre Low Resolution (JPG, 113.5 KB) Wall of Fire High Resolution (JPG, 7 MB)
An engineer makes an adjustment to the beam control optics used to stabilize and shape the beam from the Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL) on its way to the nose of the Airborne Laser aircraft where it is pointed at a target ballistic missile. ABL is the first megawatt-class laser weapon system to be carried on a 747-400F aircraft, designed to autonomously detect, track and destroy hostile ballistic missiles. The Beam Control/Fire Control system developed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, Calif., will accurately point and fire the laser with sufficient energy to destroy the missile while it is still in the highly vulnerable boost phase of flight - before separation of its warheads. Photo credit: Russ Underwood, Lockheed Martin.
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Space Systems Company
12257 S. Wadsworth Blvd.
Littleton, CO 80125-8500
(303) 977-3000
CONTACT
Media and Press Inquiries: (510)797-0349
Business Development: 408-743-1258
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