The MDA is transitioning its Directed Energy Research program from ALTB test to development of a next-generation airborne platform for missile defense missions. The ALTB program accomplished its key MDA Knowledge Point when it successfully shot down a boosting missile in February, 2010 and completed the contract in November, 2011. Recently, classified hardware and laser chemicals were removed from the aircraft as part of its preparation for storage.

The aircraft will be processed into storage at the 309th Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. The aircraft will be screened in accordance with DoD procedures for reutilization and possible display at a Government installation or private museum.

After shoot down, the program transitioned to Science & Technology testing to demonstrate extended range tracking and measure the effects of jitter and the boundary layer on beam propagation. The program had two contracts in place in November 2011, one for continued testing and one for storage preparation. In consideration of the reduced funds to the Directed Energy Program Element, MDA began program closeout and awarded the storage contract.

The remaining Science and Technology objectives will be accomplished by other Service and Agency programs as needed to support their requirements.

Total funding appropriated to the program since the Missile Defense Agency took it over in fiscal year 2002 through fiscal year 2011 is $4.1B.

The ABL/ALTB built and tested the world's first airborne megawatt-class laser and demonstrated the ability to acquire and track a boosting missile, actively compensate the high energy laser for atmospheric distortions, and place a stabilized laser spot on a boosting missile over hundreds of kilometers. The program then demonstrated the laser kill of a solid fueled boosting missile and destruction of a representative foreign ballistic missile in flight and verified these accomplishments by placing and measuring lethal energy on instrumented missiles in flight. These accomplishments demonstrated the viability of a directed energy weapon for missile defense.

The MDA is developing highly efficient electric lasers that, when combined with the potential benefits of operation on high altitude, low-mach airborne platforms will significantly reduce the complexity and cost of future directed energy weapons. In parallel with laser development, a high-altitude platform test program will verify high altitude flight characteristics and provide data to concept development of the next-generation airborne platform for missile defense missions.