The U.S. Missile Defense Agency's Airborne Laser (ABL) program met a key goal earlier this month by firing its chemical kill laser at full power during a ground test, the agency announced Dec. 9.

During the Dec. 6 test, the Northrop Grumman-built chemical laser exceeded the 10-second duration level needed to destroy ballistic missiles in their boost phase of flight, MDA said. The precise duration of the firing was not disclosed for security reasons, the agency said.

The test, which occurred in the System Integration Lab at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., was the culmination of more than 70 laser firings. The laser's "first light," which lasted a fraction of a second, occurred in November 2004 (DAILY, Nov. 15, 2004).

"First light proved that the laser worked," a Defense Department spokesman told The DAILY. "This 10 second-plus test proved that it fires long enough to destroy ballistic missiles."

Now that the chemical laser's ground tests are complete, the program plans to disassemble the device and prepare it for installation in the first ABL aircraft, a Boeing 747-400 freighter. The aircraft is currently in Wichita, Kan., where it will be strengthened to handle the weight of the chemical laser's six modules, each the size of a Chevy Suburban sport utility vehicle. Two solid-state lasers also will be installed in the aircraft in Wichita to help track targets.

Installation of the chemical laser in the aircraft is expected to start at Edwards in about a year. The first missile shoot-down attempt is planned for 2008.

The full-power news could be a boost for the program at a crucial time. A congressional supporter of ABL has heard that the White House Office of Management and Budget might be urging DOD to consider killing the program, which has experienced a series of cost and schedule overruns (DAILY, Dec. 2).