Origins of the Airborne Laser‪.‬

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Not long ago, high powered laser weapons seemed a possibility only in the world of Star Wars or Star Trek. While many Trekkies were intrigued by the notion of death rays, the actual use of such fanciful weapons seemed reserved only for future generations. However, research and technological developments by the United States armed forces over the past forty years has transformed the future into the present. This is clearly exemplified in the Airborne Laser (ABL) program, in which the U.S. Air Force has converted a Boeing 747 into a flying laser weapon. One look at the eye-like nose turret on the ABL aircraft and there is little doubt that the future is upon us at last.