The Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB)
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency announced that its high-powered airborne laser successfully shot down a ballistic missile during a recent test.
The Airborne Laser Testbed’s in-air destruction of the missile took place on Thursday evening in central California. It was the first time the ‘futuristic directed energy weapon’ succeeded in shooting down a missile during a test.
“The Missile Defense Agency demonstrated the potential use of directed energy to defend against ballistic missiles when the Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) successfully destroyed a boosting ballistic missile” the Missile Defense Agency said, according to Reuters, adding, “This was the first directed energy lethal intercept demonstration against a liquid-fuel boosting ballistic missile target from an airborne platform.”
The video below demonstrates the airborne laser’s capabilities.
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