The U.S. Air Force Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) system -- a high power laser weapon mounted to a C-130 turboprop aircraft -- took another step toward deployment this week when engineers from the Boeing Co. test fired the ATL for the first time in flight.
The Boeing ATL military laser aircraft took off from Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., and fired its laser weapon while flying over White Sands Missile Range, N.M., hitting a target on the ground.
ATL, which Boeing is developing for the U.S. Air Force, is a C-130H aircraft equipped with a chemical high energy laser, a beam control system, sensors, and weapon-system consoles. The ATL program supports special operations missions using a tactical high energy laser system for effects-based engagements against ground targets.
Again, this is a chemical laser. It's not something I'd think is a good idea to have flying around: better would be using the new, very new solid state lasers. For some reason I had thought the ATL was supposed to be put in a V-22, but I must be mistaken.
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