Boeing YAL-1A Airborne Laser

[Brian Lockett]

I get email alerts from the Flightwise flight tracking service when airplanes file flight plans to several airports. One of those airports is Edwards Air Force Base. In December 2004, I started receiving notices about a Boeing 747-400 with the call sign BOE1 departing from Edwards and returning to Edwards. I downloaded the flight tracks for BOE1 and found that it flew to the test range off the coast of California. It flew a racetrack pattern west of Vandenberg Air Force Base and then returned to Edwards, just the sort of thing that an airborne laser testbed would do. The tracks of its flights in early 2005 showed that it made long, straight-in approaches to Edwards that took it directly over the town of Boron. On March 29, 2005, I received another flight plan notice for BOE1. I drove out to Boron to see if I could get a look at the plane.

Boeing YAL-1A airborne laser testbed 00-0001 appeared a few miles to the north at 4:00 PM. It was accompanied by General Dynamics F-16B Block 15AS OCU Fighting Falcon 92-0457 from the 416th Flight Test Squadron.

I was on the Highway 58 on-ramp when I spotted the YAL-1A and the F-16B returning to Boron ten minutes lter. I pulled over and photographed the pair as they circled overhead.

The national insignia on the YAL-1A is a lighter shade of blue than the standard insignia.

I made a second trip to Boron to photograph the airborne laser testbed on May 6, 2005. The YAL-1A returned from its test flight at 4:50 PM.

The laser had not yet been installed in the airborne laser testbed when these pictures were taken.

I have some more pictures of the Airborne Laser Testbed on my web site.

[Brian Lockett]

The YAL-1A Airborne Laser Testbed is parked in the static display area at Davis-Monthan AFB.  It is the first time that it has been displayed to the public.

[Brian Lockett]

The YAL-1A Airborne Laser Testbed was placed on public display for the first time at Thunder and Lightning Over Arizona 2012 at Davis-Monthan AFB on April 14 and 15.



The laser turret is completely coated in spraylat.  There are mission marks indicating two destroyed missiles below the cockpit.

[Brian Lockett]

8-frame panorama  of the Airborne Laser Testbed at Davis-Monthan. The full resolution file is 50 megapixels.