U.S. 'Star Wars' laser plane successfully shoots down ballistic missile for first time



The U.S. have successfully taken out a ballistic missile with a high-powered laser beam mounted to a plane, it revealed yesterday.



The U.S. Missile Defence Agency (MDA) announced the feat after the test overnight on Thursday in central California.

The plane uses lasers to lock onto the missile and follow its trajectory and then brings it down with a single shot from its nose - all in a matter of seconds.



It is the first successful test of a futuristic, directed energy weapon and realises what had previously just been a science fiction fantasy.

Airborne laser: The Boeing Jumbo Jet is modified to shoot down ballistic missiles as it flies at 40,000ft 1) Telescope inside nose turret focuses laser beam on missile 2) Where the laser sits. It is made from advanced material to reduce its weight 3) The Beam control system spots and tracks the target then decides the strength of the laser beam 4) Management station 5) Helps track the target and decide range 6) Laser beam weakens and destroys missile



Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan controversially proposed 30 years ago having lasers in space to bring down missiles.



Iran and North Korea could now be forced to alter their missile programmes to make them faster and to look at how to counter the laser beams.



Aviation experts Boeing provide the airframe for the plane, which is a modified 747 jumbo jet.

Aerospace and defence contractor Northrop Grumman produce the high-energy laser and Lockheed Martin are developing the beam and fire control system.



'This was the first directed energy lethal intercept demonstration against a liquid-fuel boosting ballistic missile target from an airborne platform,' the U.S. MDA said.

It added: 'The revolutionary use of directed energy is very attractive for missile defence, with the potential to attack multiple targets at the speed of light at a range of hundreds of kilometres and at a low cost per intercept attempt compared to current technologies.'



The test took place at Point Mugu's Naval Air Warfare Center-Weapons Division Sea Range off Ventura in California. MDA did not say what the range was.



Work on the system has been going on for around 10 years and has cost more than $1billion.

Until now, the laser beams have managed to hit stationary targets from stationary platforms but direction one from a plane at a moving target is a huge leap forward.

Critics claim the system may not be practical during an actual war and last year the programme was scaled back to one plane by the defence secretary Robert Gates.

Defence analyst John Pike told The Guardian this week's test is unlikely to change his mind.

'Gates seemed to believe that therw as no prospect of the plane engaging targets at ranges of several hundred kilometres, and that engagements at ranges of less than 100 kilometres were not militarily interesting.'