Global Security Newswire

The experimental U.S. Airborne Laser antimissile system failed in a test last week to eliminate a short-range ballistic missile target, AOL News reported (see GSN, Aug. 24).

The chemical laser system, located in the front of a converted Boeing 747, was able to pinpoint, follow and hit the target but was unable to destroy it when the system abruptly stopped working. The Sept. 1 test was carried out at the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center's Weapon Division Sea Range not far from California's central coast, according to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

"Program officials will conduct an extensive investigation to determine the cause of the failure to destroy the target missile," the agency said in an e-mail message to AOL.

The system successfully brought down a target missile in a test in February. Last week's second target elimination test had been postponed on multiple occasions due to repeated technical difficulties. It was intended to show that the antimissile technology was effective at ranges of more than 100 miles -- twice the distance of the earlier test.

The agency did not give advance notice of the rescheduled test and did not initially share the results of the event until contacted by AOL.

The Airborne Laser program currently is not planned to field more than one aircraft but continues to pull in tens of millions of dollars in financing, AOL reported. It was not immediately known whether the unsuccessful test would force any changes on the program (Sharon Weinberger, AOL News, Sept. 8).