Dennis RomeroHere at LA Weekly HQ, most of us aren't your high-and-tight, guns-and-ammo types. But call us impressed. The Air Force this week successfully shot down a dummy missile with a laser over the waters of Southern California this week. Frigging lasers indeed.
This is the stuff of masturbatory Hollywood sci-fi films (and spoofs). We're thinking Kim Jong-il is bummed right now. Because all your missile are belong to us, ya dig? The test happened at 8:44 p.m. Thursday in the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center-Weapons Division Sea Range.
According to an Edwards Airforce Base statement, a short-range dummy missile was launched from a platform on the Pacific, tracked and measured by two low-energy lasers, and destroyed by a high-power laser based on an airplane.
Your tax dollars at work: The world's biggest rave toy.; Credit: USAF
“This was the first directed energy lethal intercept demonstration against a liquid-fuel boosting ballistic missile target from an airborne platform,” stated the Air Force.
A second dummy missile was also tracked and “engaged” without being destroyed as part of the test. Suffice to say, the missile take-down was kind of a big deal.
“The men and women of the Airborne Laser Combined Test Force and 417th Flight Test Squadron fulfilled the long held promise to demonstrate the revolutionary technology … ,” stated Lt. Col. Michael R. Contratto, the flight-test squadron commander. ” … We all feel extremely honored and privileged to be a part of this effort and look forward to leading the program forward to additional successes in the future.”
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