The Pentagon has put into long-term storage a laser-equipped missile defence aircraft at an Arizona Air Force base, US, due to lack of funding from the federal government to keep the jet flying.

The airborne laser programme involved a Boeing 747 jumbo jet equipped with an advanced tracking system and a high-energy chemical laser on its nose to detect and destroy enemy targets.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

The US Missile Defense Agency said that though the aircraft is being mothballed, research into anti-missile lasers will continue.

MDA spokeswoman Debra Christman told the Los Angeles Times: "We didn’t have the funding to continue flying the aircraft."

The futuristic airborne missile defence system programme achieved its goals and reached the end of the contract after more than 15 years of development with over $5bn in federal funding.

During trials in February 2010, the airborne laser fired a super-heated, basketball-size laser beam out of a rotating nose turret at a missile travelling at a speed of 4,000mph.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The programme, which never got beyond the testing stage, faced a series of technical problems which delayed a follow-up missile test for months but soon after that, a software glitch caused the laser to miss the desired mark on the target missile after the follow-up test occurred.

The Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, US also supported the project.

Airborne Laser Test Bed Combined Test Force director Lieutenant colonel Jeff Warmka told the paper that the programme conclusion represents the end of an historic era in airborne directed energy research, not only for Edwards Air Force Base but for the Department of Defense at large.