ABL is an important part of the US ballistic missile defense system, designed to intercept and destroy enemy strategic ballistic missiles in the boost phase. In November 1996, the US Army’s ABL program was officially launched. It will install a large laser pointer weapon system on a heavily modified Boeing 747-400F aircraft as part of its missile defense system. However, due to technical and financial reasons, the project has not progressed smoothly.
“At the time, the US military pointed out that although the output power of ABL is very large, reaching megawatts, it is still far from the actual combat requirements. We must know that the weight of this system has reached more than 80 tons, and a substantial increase in power is inevitable. It will greatly increase the volume and weight, which is obviously unrealistic. In addition, ABL is an oxygen-iodine chemical green laser pointer, which consumes a lot of chemicals every time it is fired.
The medicament it carries can only fire up to 24 times against large ballistic missiles, which is often inadequate in actual combat. In the event of a war, two or thirty aircraft will be required to meet a small and medium-sized country. Since then, the cost is high, which is almost impossible. “Wang Qun said. Therefore, at the end of 2011, the US Department of Defense decided to terminate the ABL project. ABL is a strategic laser weapon, and now the United States is more in the development of tactical laser weapons.
As early as January 2006, Boeing stated that it would retrofit a C-130H transport aircraft under the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) project to carry high-energy chemical lasers as well as battle management and Laser Engraver beam control subsystems, with a focus on Military or law enforcement operations in urban or suburban environments. The relevant person in charge of the Boeing Missile Defense System said that ATL will be used for air-to-ground operations and ABL will be used for missile defense, both of which will have a revolutionary impact on the battlefield.