Despite Successful Test, No New Funding For Airborne Laser | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Sun, Feb 21, 2010

Despite Successful Test, No New Funding For Airborne Laser

Program Was Cut Last Year

The Pentagon has no plans to restore funding for Boeing's airborne laser program, despite a successful test of the system February 11th. Defense Secretary Robert Gates had slashed the program from seven planes to one, cutting $8.2 billion from the 16-year-old program.

The system is designed to stop short-range missiles during their "boost phase". Missile defense advocates and at least one member of Congress, Representative Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) have asked Gates to again expand the program.

Suburban Chicago's Daily Herald reports that Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Gates is not opposed to the laser technology, but doesn't like that getting a shot requires a 747 to "hover" in enemy territory. "We still very much want to pursue development of this promising technology, and we'll figure out down the road what the appropriate and cost-effective platform is," Morrell said.

In a speech July 16th, Gates said that the program had not demonstrated its military value after more than a decade of research and development. He cited the modified 747's at $1.5 billion each, and the millions in annual maintenance costs, as the primary reasons for largely scrapping the program. "The program and operating concept were fatally flawed," Gates said.

FMI: www.dod.mil

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC