Boeing YAL-1A Airborne Laser

Boeing · USA · first flew 2002 · transport aircraft

The Boeing YAL-1A was a one-off missile-defence testbed built on a Boeing 747-400F, carrying a megawatt-class chemical laser in a nose turret to destroy ballistic missiles in their boost phase.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, swept
E — Engines	4 × turbofan, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	70.66 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Bulbous laser turret in nose
747-400F airframe
Chemical laser missile-defence testbed

Unmistakable as a 747 with a large bulbous laser turret occupying the entire nose. The four-engine swept wing and humpback fuselage otherwise mark it as a standard jumbo jet.

Specifications

The Boeing YAL-1A Airborne Laser has a length of 70.66 m (232 ft).
It has a wingspan of 64.44 m (211 ft).
Its maximum speed is 913 km/h (567 mph).
Typical crew: 6 (flight and mission crew).

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The US Air Force Airborne Laser programme modified a jumbo freighter with a rotating nose turret and beam-control optics, with the aircraft first flying in this configuration in 2002. It achieved a successful in-flight missile shoot-down before the programme was cancelled in 2011.

Variants

Only a single YAL-1A airframe was built, and no operational or production versions followed. The concept was retired to storage after testing concluded.

Where you'll see it

The aircraft never entered squadron service in the UK or the US, remaining a pure experimental platform. Its work nonetheless advanced directed-energy weapons research of interest to allied air forces.

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