Evolutionary Air and Space Global Laser Engagement
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The Evolutionary Air and space Global Laser Engagement (EAGLE) is a missile defence plan being developed by the United States Air Force. It is a "space-based weapon".[1]
The project is a combination of two separate missile defense efforts: the Aerospace Relay Mirror System and a new, high-altitude airship. The project is designed as a means to destroy enemy missiles before they would have the opportunity to hit targets on American soil.[2] It involves using either ground-based, air-based or space-based lasers deflected off a massive airship (roughly 25 times the size of the Goodyear blimp) covered in mirrors that could destroy missiles but also satellites or spacecraft in a low Earth orbit. By synergistically employing airborne, terrestrial, or space-based lasers in conjunction with space-based relay mirrors, this innovative approach substantially enhances the capabilities of both the Airborne Laser and Ground-Based Laser. The system effectively projects varying laser powers and frequencies, enabling a wide array of effects, ranging from illumination to destruction.[3]
The first tests of the airship were scheduled to begin in 2006. Its current status as of 2011 is unknown.
References
[edit]- ^ Hardesty, David C. (2005). "SPACE-BASED WEAPONS: Long-Term Strategic Implications and Alternatives". Naval War College Review. 58 (2): 45–69. ISSN 0028-1484. JSTOR 26394182.
- ^ Hardesty, David C. (2005). "SPACE-BASED WEAPONS: Long-Term Strategic Implications and Alternatives". Naval War College Review. 58 (2): 45–69. ISSN 0028-1484. JSTOR 26394182.
- ^ "Air Force plans for future war in space". NBC News. 2004-02-24. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved 2023-07-26.