Airborne Laser lets rip on first target - tech - 15 December 2008 - New ScientistAn aircraft-mounted laser was test-fired, albeit from a stationary plane. The ABL is the result of a 12-year, $4.3 billion(US) project to put a high-energy weapon in the sky. In theory, a megawatt laser should be capable to causing the pressurized parts of a missile to warp, resulting in it's disintegration.