[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 180 (Wednesday, November 1, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1040]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE U.S. AIR FORCE AIRBORNE LASER LABORATORY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ALEXANDER X. MOONEY

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 1, 2023

  Mr. MOONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the incredible 
accomplishments of the U.S. Air Force Airborne Laser Laboratory.
  Five decades ago, in the midst of the Cold War, the men and women of 
the ALL undertook a seemingly impossible task: developing a laser 
defense system capable of tracking, engaging and destroying incoming 
missiles from an airborne platform. Although the Air Force had 
successfully demonstrated their ability to use a land-based laser to 
destroy drone aircraft, the ALL would represent the first time in 
history that an aircraft-based system would attempt that feat.
  For more than a decade, Air Force scientists and engineers, both 
military and civilian, pushed scientific boundaries, working on a 
converted KC-135 tanker aircraft in a huge yellow hanger at Kirkland 
Air Force Base. These pioneers were not employing the latest 
technologies, they were inventing brand-new technologies as they 
discovered new challenges. Many of those new technologies are in use 
today, in both directed energy and kinetic weapons programs.
  In 1983 their hard work paid off when the ALL was successfully tested 
against AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles fired toward the aircraft in flight. 
Although the fighter aircraft firing those missiles were positioned out 
of range, any miscalculation could have been disastrous. Lt. Col Dennis 
Boesen, who was one of the ALL's Test Directors as well as a Vietnam 
combat veteran, pointed out, they were putting their lives in the hands 
of pilots, engineers and even the ordnance specialists to do their job 
perfectly. They put themselves in the path of a missile--five missiles, 
in fact--to prove a technology designed to save lives. Their faith in 
their fellow airmen, officers and scientists is a testament to this 
incredible team.
  In joint testing with the U.S. Navy, the ALL shot down a BMQ-34A 
drone representing a Soviet cruise missile. Again, the ALL performed 
flawlessly, destroying the drone and demonstrating that airborne laser 
weapons are possible. In fact, the technological breakthroughs achieved 
with the ALL helped inspire President Ronald Reagan to launch the 
Strategic Defense Initiative and lead several years later to the YAL-1A 
airborne laser system.
  Mr. Speaker, as conflicts around the world show us every day, the 
U.S. and its allies are constantly under attack from new and more 
sophisticated enemies. If we are going to continue protecting our 
citizens and our allies, we need to ensure that our fighting men and 
women have the best technology possible. The men and women who worked 
on the ALL deserve our deepest appreciation for what they accomplished 
to keep this country safe and, as the ALL logo states, give us all 
``Peace Through Light.''

                          ____________________