Boeing YAL-1
Boeing / Lockheed Martin / Northrop Grumman · United States · first flew 2002 · bomber
The YAL-1 Airborne Laser was a heavily modified Boeing 747-400F equipped with a megawatt-class Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser intended to destroy ballistic missiles in their boost phase. It represented the most ambitious directed-energy weapon system ever flown.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × turbofan, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 70.6 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Modified Boeing 747 with megawatt-class chemical oxygen-iodine laser in nose turret
- Distinctive bulged rotating beam-control turret on nose
- Airborne laser platform for ballistic missile defence
Externally a standard 747 freighter except for the prominent rotating spherical beam-director turret protruding from the nose and a large dorsal radome, making it instantly distinguishable.
Specifications
- The Boeing YAL-1 has a length of 70.6 m (232 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 64.4 m (211 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 988 km/h (614 mph).
- Typical crew: 4 flight crew plus mission crew.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Developed under a US Missile Defense Agency programme from the mid-1990s, the YAL-1 successfully shot down a ballistic missile target in February 2010, the first time an airborne laser had destroyed a missile in flight. Despite this success the programme was cancelled in 2011 due to cost and practicality concerns.
Variants
A single airframe was built and modified; no production variant was procured.
Where you'll see it
Operated solely as a US Air Force experimental platform; never deployed operationally. The aircraft was scrapped in 2014.
Related aircraft
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