Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTONDC
A BOEING-LED TEAM has been selected by the US Air Force to develop and flight test an Airborne Laser (ABL) designed to shoot down short- and medium-range ballistic missiles during their boost phase.
The Boeing Defense and Space Group team was awarded a $1.1 billion contract to produce a prototype attack-laser aircraft, to be designated YAL-1A, using a commercial Boeing 747-400F freighter airframe. It stands to earn as much as $5.6 billion if the aircraft goes ahead.
Boeing is in charge of system integration and battle-management systems, while TRW Space and Electronics Group will develop the chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) and Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space is responsible for laser beam control.
The award for the 77-month Airborne-Laser programme definition and risk-reduction effort follows a two-year concept-definition phase in which the Boeing team competed against Rockwell/Hughes Aircraft/Raytheon E-Systems under $22 million contracts.
Boeing stood to win either way, since it has agreed to buy Rockwell's defence and space business, including the ABL effort, for about $3.2 billion, in a transaction expected to be concluded by the end of this year.
The source-selection decision had been moved up as a result to keep the competition alive.
Harry Schulte, a senior USAF procurement official, says that the Boeing team won because TRW has made "great strides" in developing and testing the COIL. Boeing's proposals for logistics and integrating the communications suite on the aircraft were also winners, he adds.
The decision was a blow to Hughes Aircraft, which earlier in partnership with TRW lost the USAF's $1.6 billion Space-Based Infra-red System contract to a Lockheed Martin-led team (Flight International, 13-19 November).
A new 747-400F will be modified in 1999 for flight tests set for 2002. The Boeing team must still develop a flight-ready operational laser module. A second demonstrator aircraft would be built during engineering and manufacturing development.
Given a production go-ahead in fiscal year 2005, five others would follow, giving a total of seven systems. The first two aircraft would be upgraded to the final configuration. Three would be operational in FY2006, with all seven fielded two years later. The COIL, which will be capable of 30 shots without recharging, will have a range of 300-600km (160-320nm).
The ABL would be operated above 40,000ft (12,200m) and would have 40-100s to destroy the target. The target list contains 30 missile types.
Source: Flight International
