Back بوينغ واي إي أل-1 Arabic Boeing YAL-1 Catalan Boeing YAL-1 German Boeing YAL-1 Esperanto Boeing YAL-1 Spanish بوئینگ یال-۱ Persian Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser French YAL–1 Hungarian Boeing YAL-1 ID Boeing YAL-1 Italian
| YAL-1 Airborne Laser | |
|---|---|
| |
| ABL aircraft during flight | |
| Role | Airborne Laser (ABL) anti-ballistic missile weapons system |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| First flight | July 18, 2002 |
| Retired | September 25, 2014 |
| Status | Canceled |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Boeing 747-400F |
| Career | |
| Serial | 00-0001 |
| Fate | Scrapped |
The Boeing YAL-1 airborne laser testbed was a modified Boeing 747-400F with a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside. It was primarily designed to test its feasibility as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs) while in boost phase. The aircraft was designated YAL-1A in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Defense.[1]
The YAL-1 with a low-power laser was test-fired in flight at an airborne target in 2007.[2] A high-energy laser was used to intercept a test target in January 2010,[3] and the following month, successfully destroyed two test missiles.[4] Funding for the program was cut in 2010 and the program was canceled in December 2011.[5] It made its final flight on February 14, 2012, to Davis–Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, Arizona, to be kept in storage at the "boneyard" operated by the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group. It was ultimately scrapped in September 2014 after all usable parts were removed.
- ^ "DoD 4120.15-L, Model Designation of Military Aerospace Vehicles" (PDF). U.S. Department of Defense. May 12, 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 30, 2007.
- ^ "Airborne Laser returns for more testing". Air Force. Archived from the original on March 8, 2007.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ABL_2010_testwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Wolf, Jim; Alexander, David (February 12, 2010). "U.S. successfully tests airborne laser on missile". reuters.com. Reuters.
- ^ "Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser impacted by Pentagon spending priorities". Flight Image of the Day. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013.