Led by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in St. Louis, the Airborne Laser team completed tests involving its high-energy laser at the Systems Integration Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The tests demonstrated a level of laser duration and power that is suitable for the destruction of multiple classes of ballistic missiles. The laser was operated at simulated altitude and achieved steady-state operation under optical control. Team partners include Northrop Grumman Corp. of Los Angeles, which designed and built Airborne Laser’s megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser, and Lockheed Martin of Bethesda, Md., which provided the beam and fire control segment.

Designed to be placed on a Boeing 747-400 aircraft, the Airborne Laser is a component of the Missile Defense Agency’s ballistic missile defense program. Its sensor system can track a boosting missile and determine its position for destruction by the laser.