March 24, 2006 12:48 PM PST
Laser weapons are still the stuff of science fiction, but the Pentagon is working to change that. One such weapon, now undergoing tests, is the Airborne Laser, a Boeing 747-400F that's being modified to deliver a beam that can knock missiles out of the sky.
Work on the ABL Beam Control/Fire Control subsystem is taking place at Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, Calif. Here, a space systems engineer inspects the Turret Ball Conformal Window through which the laser beams will pass.
Photo by Russ Underwood/Lockheed Martin
