Omaha World-Herald April 02, 2002
Airborne laser system
Offutt perfect for missile-killer laser project, two lawmakers say
By Joe Dejka
Nebraska officials are hoping the Pentagon will see the light when deciding where to base a new laser missile-defense system.
By the end of the decade, the Air Force hopes to have seven modified Boeing 747s that could zap enemy missiles in flight with a laser beam.
U.S. Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska said Offutt Air Force Base is one of a handful of bases experienced in flying such large jets. Offutt, he said, should be considered as a home base for the new Airborne Laser Missile Defense mission. "It's a good fit for Offutt," Terry said. "We are trying to develop a game plan that we can communicate Offutt Air Force Base's assets, its positive qualities, to the Pentagon as they make a choice on where to locate that particular mission."
The first of the airplanes, a 747-400 Freighter, has been undergoing modifications for two years at Boeing facilities in Wichita, Kan.
The airplanes would use a chemical oxygen-iodine laser fired from a nose turret to knock down enemy ballistic missiles. The laser would be fired shortly after the missiles launch, while their booster rockets were thrusting.
The Air Force would deploy the planes to trouble spots anywhere on the globe within 24 hours to protect American troops and allies from missiles, such as the Scuds used by Iraq during Desert Storm.
Missile defense, once considered politically and technologically unfeasible, has gained supporters since the Cold War to protect American troops overseas, allies and the U.S. mainland from attack by terrorists or a rogue state.
Maj. Rob Koon, a public affairs officer with Air Force Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., said late last week: "Nothing's been decided at this point" on where to base the planes.
Although the first three airplanes aren't expected to be ready until at least 2006, infrastructure improvements at the host base would have to begin much earlier.
Offutt could be in good shape in some respects, said John Hansen, president of the Bellevue-Offutt Advisory Committee, a group that works on issues affecting the base and the community.
"I think that only Offutt and perhaps maybe Andrews Air Force Base (in Maryland) even have the hangar capabilities to handle a 747," Hansen said.
Offutt already hosts a squadron of four E-4Bs, which are modified Boeing 747s that serve as airborne command posts for military and civilian leaders in times of crisis.
As a result, Offutt has pilots, mechanics and technicians familiar with Boeing's four-engine giants, Hansen said. Andrews would have similar capability because Air Force One is based there.
However, there is likely to be a fierce lobbying effort from communities that host other bases with large airplanes, he said.
Hansen said he has heard of campaigning by communities near Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, which has a B-1B Lancer fleet, and Minot Air Force Base, N.D., which houses a wing of B-52 Stratofortresses.
John Pike, a defense analyst with GlobalSecurity.org, said Offutt would be an obvious choice because of the 747s already there. "Normally, you'd want to put all of your maintenance resources in one place," Pike said.
Ultimately, the basing decision will depend on the mission, which will be fine-tuned as the airplane proceeds through development.
U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that under current technology, the airplanes probably would have to stand watch at overseas bases for quick response to a missile launch.
But the airplanes might require a stateside home base to which they would return for repairs, training and other support, similar to the RC-135 reconnaissance airplanes that use Offutt as a home base to deploy to locations all over the world, he said.
"What I'm hoping is that there will be some service and support that will be necessary and, of course, the facilities at Offutt are just first-rate," he said. "They do have the capacity to service and support 747s and laser-oriented weapons."
He said he would be aggressive in making sure the Pentagon knows of Offutt's strengths.
The Missile Defense Agency and the Air Force have teamed up with Boeing, TRW and Lockheed Martin to build new airplanes.
The prototype airplane is expected to test its laser for the first time in flight against a dummy missile in 2003 or 2004.
Copyright 2002 The Omaha World-Herald Company
