A solid-state illuminator laser developed by Raytheon Company for the US Missile Defense Agency has been fired successfully more than 50 times for periods of up to 90 seconds since in-flight tests began in January. The kilowatt-class illuminator, built for the agency’s Airborne Laser (ABL) program and fired from a heavily modified Boeing 747, is used to track a boosting ballistic missile. The projectile is then destroyed by the ABL’s high-energy laser.
The illuminator has been fired more than 900 times since installation on the aircraft for ground tests that began in 2006. It has conducted more than 140 million pulsed laser shots.
