Pointless

Lockheed Martin crap below.

Didn't bother to mention price or decoys.

Or, how it could stop a 911-type of attack.

The Airborne Laser (ABL) is the U.S. Air Force's radical new approach for disabling or destroying threat ballistic missiles immediately after launch, during their vulnerable boost phase of launch. Onboard a Boeing 747, the ABL will use the Infrared Surveillance Subsystem (IRSS) to detect and precisely locate threat missiles for engagement by the ABL’s megawatt class laser. IRSS leverages some of the latest Infrared Search and Track (IRST) and Active Ranging Sensor (ARS) technologies to perform the real-time detection and precise target tracking functions.

The ABL team is comprised of Boeing, responsible for building the 747 aircraft and the BMC4I computer; TRW, responsible for building the laser; and Lockheed Martin, responsible for Beam Control / Fire Control and the IRSS. Employing six IRSTs, IRSS is capable of rapidly searching a large airspace volume, generating precise two-dimensional tracks on threat missiles during both their boost and post-boost phases of flight. The IRST system can generate detections at very long ranges, then handing off to a CO2 laser ARS for track refinement and precise range measurement. The ABL project is currently in the Program Definition and Risk Reduction (PDRR) phase. Lockheed Martin has scheduled testing of the IRSS in 2001, with live fire testing of the entire ABL system scheduled for 2003.

The Airborne Laser (ABL) beam control system provides
autonomous acquisition, pointing, and tracking capabilities.
"Lockheed Martin photo"
 

Airborne Laser (ABL) is an aircraft-mounted laser weapon system that is capable
of destroying chemical, biological, and nuclear missiles almost immediately after launch
and before they would pose a threat to civilian populations and military assets.
This beam control system provides autonomous acquisition, pointing,
and tracking capabilities against the theater ballistic missiles.
"Lockheed Martin photo"

 
Airborne laser (ABL) is an aircraft-mounted laser that is capable
of destroying chemical, biological, and nuclear missiles.
"Lockheed Martin photo"

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