The Airborne Laser is an Important Part of America’s Missile Defenses -- Tests Prove It

On some level, this misperception is understandable. Afterall, lasers may be commonly used in eye surgery, but the only place most peoplehave seen lasers in battle is in the movies.

No doubt the ABL is super high tech. But it would be a gravemistake to assume that it belongs only in science fiction. The truth is, theABL has a track record of continuous testing achievement. Later this year, itis scheduled to complete a lethal shoot down of a missile during the boostphase (i.e. shortly after launch).

These misperceptions may be the reason that the ObamaAdministration is planning on gutting the ABL program. However, that would be ahuge mistake. The Airborne Laser is a first of its kind weapons system that canshoot down a missile while it is still in its boost phase -- meaning that thewreckage will fall back on the very people who launched it. That is a powerfuldeterrent all by itself.

The ABL is a converted 747 with high tech tracking technologyand a powerful cutting edge laser to shoot the missile down shortly afterlaunch. Some have incorrectly speculated that the laser has a limited range --suggesting that the ABL must be too close to its target to be effective.However, again, this is mistaken. The ABL has a megawatt-class laser that canfire hundreds of kilometers with multiple shots. It can defend against missileattack from hundreds of miles away and keep out of enemy reach. And because itis mounted in a jet, it is mobile and can be deployed to hotspots when needed.

The ABL is also cost effective. As few as seven ABL’s couldprovide a highly mobile and stunningly high tech defense against missileattack. Even with the cutting edge technology that it employs, the annual costsof the ABL are in line with other large military jets like the AWACS and theB-1 Bomber.

But if you don’t believe me that the ABL is not merely ascience fiction weapon, but rather a practical and needed piece of our currentplans for defense -- perhaps soldiers in the field will convince you. GeneralB.B. Bell, former Commander of U.S. Forces in Korea wrote to Congress: “...from the Warfighter’s perspective, the ABL will be an important ingredient inour much needed and required layered missile defense capability for the Koreanpeninsula... I enthusiastically support the pursuit of the unique combatcapability provided by the ABL in attacking missiles in their boost phase. TheKorea Theater of Operations battle space provides an optimal ABL operatingenvironment...”

And Lt. Gen. Lloyd Utterback said, “... the ABL offers ... asignificant capability for boost phase missile defense and other criticaltactical missions. As a boost intercepter, it will take the battle to the enemyand defeat threat forces before countermeasures can be deployed. I am alsoexcited by the ABL’s potential capability to counter surface-to-air and cruisemissiles.” So there you have it -- warfighters on the ground see the need forthe ABL.

This is the bottom line -- we live in a dangerous world.Each day, the headlines and the news prove there are rogue nations and rogueleaders threatening our security. We can either hope that they are just jokingor we can take steps to protect ourselves. I vote for protecting ourselves andnot trusting in the “good intentions” of mad-men. The ABL will protectAmericans in ways that no other system can. That makes the ABL tremendouslyvaluable and immeasurably important. We ought not be gutting something thatimportant or that valuable.