SOME MILITARY PROGRAMS ARE GOOD AT THE CONCEPT LEVEL BUT WOULD TAKE EXCESSIVE FUNDING TO EVEN MATERIALIZE AND WITH A SMALLER MILITARY BUDGET SPENDING SUCH CONCEPT REQUIRES MULTIPLE STUDIES AND YEARS TO BECOME REALITY–AS THE $10 BILLION PROVING GROUND FOR A MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM AFTER 2001 GETS SHELVED FOR PROVEN LEAST COSTLY ALTERNATIVES–AIRBORNE LASER COST $5.3 BILLION TERMINATED IN 2012, KEI COST $1.7 BILLION TERMINATED IN 2009, MKV COST 700 MILLION TERMINATED IN 2009, SBX COST $2.2 BILLION LIMITED OPERATION 2013

The concept: A fleet of Boeing 747s, each modified to fire an infrared chemical laser through a 5-foot-long telescope in its nose. The laser would incinerate enemy missiles shortly after launch, before they could release decoys that might fool U.S. radar.

Major contractors: Boeing Co., Northrop Grumman Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp.

Early optimism: “We are building forces of good to defeat the force of evil. And in that vein today we are taking a major step to give the American people their first ‘Light Saber.’” — Henry A. Obering III, then-director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Oct. 27, 2006.

The concept: The fastest U.S. rocket-interceptor, to be fired from land or Navy ships at enemy missiles during their early “boost” phase.

Major contractors: Northrop Grumman Corp. and Raytheon Co.

Early optimism: “That high acceleration with the mobile capability of Kinetic Energy Interceptor is very, very attractive.” — Henry A. Obering III, then-director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, April 7, 2005.

Problems: Extending 40 feet, the KEI would have been longer than anything ever launched from a modern Navy ship. To carry it, Navy vessels would have had to be retrofitted at a cost of billions of dollars. And the interceptor’s range was too limited to allow it to be land-based. It would have had to be positioned so close to its target that it would be vulnerable to attack.

The concept: A “bandolier” of eight to 20 miniature interceptors that would destroy missiles and decoys.

Major contractors: Raytheon Co. and Lockheed Martin.

Early optimism: “The Multiple Kill Vehicle is a transformational program adding volume kill capability to the ballistic missile defense system as early as 2013.” — U.S. Missile Defense Agency news release, July 19, 2006.

Problems: The technical challenge of creating and launching tiny “kill vehicles” that could find and destroy far heavier warheads in space proved insurmountable. Among many other obstacles, existing ground-based rockets would have had to be retrofitted or replaced. The concept never reached the stage where a test flight could be conducted.

The concept: A floating radar powerful enough to detect and track long-range missiles and distinguish enemy warheads from decoys.

Major contractors: Boeing Co. and Raytheon Co.

Early optimism: “It is the most powerful radar of its kind in the world and will provide ... a highly advanced detection and discrimination capability.” — Henry A. Obering III, then-director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, May 10, 2006.

Problems: The radar’s field of vision is so narrow that it could not reliably track a sequence of incoming missiles. Its sensitive instrumentation is prone to corrosion at sea, and it needs millions of dollars in fuel to operate for even short periods.

http://graphics.latimes.com/missile-defense/