----- Original Message ----- From: Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <mailto:Undisclosed-Recipient:;@mindspring.com> Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2000 5:34 PM Subject: ARMY TESTS TMD LASER September 13, 2000 Army aims to refine new laser in tests Huntsville-managed weapon shooting at rockets at White Sands 09/12/00 By SHELBY G. SPIRES Times Aerospace Writer HUNTSVILLE, AL.- Tests this week in New Mexico will allow scientists to further refine a Huntsville-managed laser weapon designed to shoot down artillery rockets. The Tactical High Energy Laser, or THEL, is undergoing several tests a day at White Sands Missile Range. The tests are designed to further develop the laser system's capability to detect and shoot down multiple-launched artillery rockets. The $200 million weapons system is managed by the Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville, and built for the Army by Cleveland-based TRW Inc. Space and Lasers Program Division. Space & Technology In one test Monday against a set of rockets, the laser shot down one and tracked and shot the second, but didn't destroy it. In a second test, THEL tracked one rocket in a two-rocket tracking test, but failed to track the second. Engineers were working to aim the laser as part of refining the tracking system. ''It's a testing process. They will be out there at White Sands all week shooting at rockets,'' said Marco Morales, an SMDC spokesman. THEL's challenge is to track several rockets at the same time. Scientists are working to refine the aim of the laser, building upon lessons learned by THEL engineers during two tests in June and August. This summer marked a series of successes for the 4-year-old THEL program. On June 6, THEL shot down a single rocket, and on Aug. 28 the demonstrator successfully shot down two Russian-made Katyusha rockets launched in succession. Those tests marked the first time a laser had been used to destroy a rocket in flight. THEL uses a laser beam to heat the incoming enemy rockets until they explode. It is considered a medium-range, missile defense weapon. THEL is being funded jointly by the United States and Israel, with the Israeli interest focused on protecting its northern border from rocket attacks by Islamic fundamentalist groups. The Army is using THEL as a test bed to prove ground-based, laser missile defense weapons. THEL has a range of about 12 miles and costs about $3,000 per destroyed rocket to use, according to SMDC. Several more tests on the system will be conducted over the coming days, Morales said. The testing program may be extended. - © 2000 The Huntsville Times ================================== Bruce K. Gagnon Coordinator Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space PO Box 90083 Gainesville, FL. 32607 (352) 337-9274 http://www.space4peace.org [EMAIL PROTECTED]
