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Boeing to lead laser project
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November 12, 1996: 8:30 p.m. ET
Company teams with Lockheed Martin, TRW in $1.1B contract
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WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Pentagon said Tuesday it has awarded a $1.1 billion contract to Boeing Co. and subcontractors Lockheed-Martin and TRW to build a prototype 747-mounted flying laser capable of shooting enemy missiles out of the sky.
The program, called the AIRBORNE LASER (ABL), is one of several Pentagon weapons systems under development to counter the threat from short-range ballistic missiles, such as the SCUDs Iraq fired during the Persian Gulf War.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ronald Fogleman called the laser "revolutionary technology" that will change the future of warfare.
The laser is designed to destroy enemy missiles carrying nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads while they are still over enemy territory.
While the initial work is worth $1.1 billion, it could one day mean tens of billions for the Boeing team if the new weapon can protect troops and bases. The huge laser is mounted inside a modified Boeing 747-400.
The underdog Boeing team defeated a team headed by Rockwell International Corp. That team included General Motors Corp.'s Hughes aircraft division and the E-Systems unit of Raytheon
In another contest for a Pentagon contract, Boeing is contending with Lockheed Martin and McDonnell Douglas Corp. to build 3,000 new joint strike fighters, a deal that could be worth more than $170 billion over the next two decades.
From staff and wire reports. 
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Boeing
Lockheed Martin
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