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Air Force 747 fires laser cannon for first time

For the first time, the Air Force Boeing 747-400 equipped with a laser cannon fired the laser.

The Airborne Laser’s test team achieved the “first light” firing Sunday at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., according to contractors Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman.

While on the ground, the aircraft shot the beam into a “calorimeter,” a test device that captures and measures characteristics of the beam.

During upcoming ground tests, the beam will be sent through the airborne laser beam fire control system and out the turret mounted in the aircraft’s nose.

Flight tests will follow, culminating in an airborne intercept test against a ballistic missile in 2009.

The Air Force 747, also designated the YAL-1A, is designed to find, follow and intercept enemy missiles after they’ve been launched, according to the Air Force. In theory, the Airborne Laser would fly below the clouds, where it could track a missile in its "boost flight phase," according to the Air Force. Then, using a high-power laser, it would knock out the weapon near its launch area.

The chemical oxygen iodine laser — COIL for short — is composed of six interconnected modules, each as large as a sport-utility vehicle turned on end. Each module weighs about 6,500 pounds and has 3,600 separate parts. The laser produces enough energy in a five-second burst to power a typical household for more than an hour.