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Pentagon again postpones test of missile-destroying laser
By: Ria Novosti on: 23.08.2010 [02:44 ] (295 reads)
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(2125 bytes) [nc]
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Defense
Pentagon again postpones test of missile-destroying laser
The laser, housed aboard a modified Boeing 747-400 Freighter, was to intercept a simulated short-range ballistic missile during Sunday's tests, to be held off California's coast.
01:02 23/08/2010© flickr.com/ dbking Multimedia
A test of a powerful missile-intercepting laser, scheduled for Sunday morning, was postponed for the fourth time due to technical problems, Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said on its website.
The laser, housed aboard a modified Boeing 747-400 Freighter, was to intercept a simulated short-range ballistic missile during Sunday's tests, to be held off California's coast. The previous postponements took place in the past three weeks.
"Trouble shooting indicates that a hot bypass valve on the aircraft is in an abnormal condition thus not allowing for proper component cooling," the agency said in a statement. "The team is evaluating the potential causes."
"A new date for the experiment will be set for the upcoming week," the statement reads.
The Airborne Laser Test Bed (ALTB) uses two solid state lasers and a megawatt-class Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL) against ballistic missiles. It uses six infrared sensors to detect the exhaust plume of a boosting missile.
As soon as a target is detected, a kilowatt-class solid state laser, the Track Illuminator, tracks the missile and determines a precise aim point.
The Beacon Illuminator, a second kilowatt-class solid state laser, then measures disturbances in the atmosphere, which are corrected by the adaptive optics system to accurately point and focus the high energy laser at its intended target.
Using a very large telescope located in the nose turret, the beam control/fire control system focuses the COIL beam onto a pressurized area of the boosting missile and holds it there until the concentrated energy compromises the structural integrity of the target, causing it to fail.
MOSCOW, August 23 (RIA Novosti)
Horrible Police Brutality in Korea!
Top 4 Strange
http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100823/160299917.html
by Syrian on 23.08.2010 [09:56 ]
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Anyone who played the game missile command will know why!
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by Kamau_Ajamu on 23.08.2010 [16:47 ]
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...are not meant to be military vehicles, their too slow and can be shot down with today's missile technology before they set their laser sites on their targets, that's probably why they keep postponing it; they know the inevitable outcome!
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by Kamau_Ajamu on 23.08.2010 [16:54 ]
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...they can't cloak a 747 with stealth technology as this technology is no longer a secret and can easily be defeated, and as I said, they're too slow.
Boeing now offers four models of the 747-400: the all-passenger version; the Freighter; a Domestic version for short, high-density routes; and the Combi — which at the same time carries passengers and cargo on the main deck.
The 747 400 Freighter is the largest commercial cargo transport in service, having the lowest ton-mile. This aircraft carries twice as much cargo, twice as far, as the competitor’s leading freighter. The 747-400ER Freighter is a blend of payload, range and speed. Having a maximum takeoff weight of 875,000 pounds (396,900 kg), the standard 747-400 Freighter can carry 124 tons (113,000 kg) of cargo up to 4,450 nautical miles (8,240 km).
The 747-400 freighter's top speed is 583 mph.
ht tp://www.topspeed.com/aviation/aviation-reviews/boeing/1989-2010-boeing-747-400-ar85805.html
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by LittleHelper on 24.08.2010 [00:58 ]
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Who wonders, it's a Boeing military project (compare with the
Boeing 787 Dreamliner debacle, which is rather a nightmare
than a dream, too ;-)
In principle the idea would be fascinating:
To be able to shoot down fast approaching missiles in flight,
long before impact, with the speed of light.
There are some physical constraints involved, though:
1.) Laser devices provide for a miserable system effective-
ness, even the best ones (semiconductor lasers).
This means their power supplies are heavy, bulky and
difficult to carry, especially in flight, and they are
consuming a lot of fuel.
2.) The lasers need highly precise mirrors and optical
guidances, and a permanent active tracking of the
target. Moreover, all the optical components must
be completely isolated from the surrounding shaky
and rattling environment with active inertial vibration
suppression.
3.) The atmosphere, which the laser beam must penetrate
before it can hit the target, is not optically homogenous.
Quite to the contrary, it is constantly changing its optical
properties, as wind and temperature gradients are
altering its refraction index all the time, also water vapor
and dust are playing a role, the longer the distance
the more. A local change of the temperature of only 1
Kelvin can cause a deflection of the beam by several
metres over a distance of 10 miles.
4.) Regardless of all the problems mentioned above, the
laser beam must be focused onto the target for quite
a long time, else there will not be enough energy carried
into the target to destroy it.
In my eyes, the mentioned physical constraints are weighing
so heavily, it is not worth the effort.
The money could be used for better approaches to the
problem.
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