[Federal Register: March 28, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 60)]
[Notices]               
[Page 14917-14919]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28mr02-37]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

 
Office of the Secretary; Preparation of a Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Airborne Laser Program

AGENCY: Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Missile Defense Agency is preparing a Supplement to the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Program Definition 
and Risk Reduction (PDRR) Phase of the Airborne Laser (ABL) Program 
(April 1997) and Record of Decision (September 1997). This Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) will analyze proposed ABL Program 
test activities at Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB), Holloman Air Force 
Base (HAFB), and White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico; and 
Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), and 
the Adjacent Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center (PMNAWC) Sea Range, 
California. The SEIS will be prepared in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), and the 
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the 
procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508). The ABL is a 
laser weapon system installed on a Boeing 747-400F aircraft capable of 
operating for extended periods of time. Up to two such aircraft would 
be developed. The ABL weapon system is proposed to include four lasers:
     Active Ranging System (ARS) Laser (a small carbon dioxide 
laser used to begin tracking a target),
     Track Illuminator Laser (TILL), (a solid state laser used 
to provide detailed tracking of a target),
     Beacon Illuminator Laser (BILL), (a solid state laser used 
to measure atmospheric distortion), and
     High-Energy Laser (HEL), (i.e., Chemical Oxygen-Iodine 
Laser (COIL)--a chemical laser used to destroy a target).
    An additional laser, a surrogate for the High-Energy Laser (SHEL), 
will be used during testing in place of the HEL. The SHEL is a low-
power solid-state laser that would be used in both ground- and flight-
testing. The ABL also would

[[Page 14918]]

include an Infrared Search and Track sensor (IRST) (a passive infrared 
device used to identify heat sources). The 1997 PDRR ABL FEIS analyzed 
use of a COIL HEL on board an aircraft to destroy ballistic missiles in 
the boost phase. The Record of Decision (ROD) on the FEIS documented 
the Air Force's decision to proceed with PDRR phase ABL home base 
activities at EAFB, diagnostic test activities over WSMR, and expanded 
area test activities at VAFB and the PMNAWC Sea Range. Since completion 
of the FEIS, specific proposed test activities have been identified and 
additional information made available about the proposed testing that 
warrant preparation of an SEIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Pamelia Bain, Director, External 
Affairs, Missile Defense Agency, 7100 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 
20301-7100.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MDA is developing an ABL element of the 
Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). The BMDS being developed is 
intended to provide an effective defense for the United States, its 
deployed forces, and its friends and allies from limited missile 
attack, during all segments of an attacking missile's flight. The BMDS 
includes separate elements to provide a defense during each of the 
three segments of missile flight. These segments are boost, midcourse, 
and terminal. While multiple elements could be used to defend against 
an attack, if necessary, during each of the threat's flight segments, 
each BMDS element is designed to work separately to provide a 
militarily significant defense, even if no other BMDS element exists. 
The ABL element of BMDS is being developed to provide an effective 
defense to limited ballistic missile threats during the boost segment 
of an attacking missile's flight. The Air Force began development of 
the ABL program aircraft in November 1996. In October 2001, ABL was 
transferred from the Air Force to the Ballistic Missile Defense 
Organization, which was renamed in January 2002 as the Missile Defense 
Agency.

Alternatives

    Test activities and proposed alternative test locations to be 
addressed in the SEIS include:
     Ground tests of the ARS, TILL, BILL, and SHEL at KAFB, 
WSMR/Holloman AFB.
     Flight tests of the ARS, TILL, BILL, SHEL and HEL (i.e., 
COIL) at WSMR;
     Flight tests of the ARS, TILL, BILL, and HEL at VAFB and 
the PMNAWC Sea Range; and
     Ground and flight tests of the ARS, TILL, BILL, SHEL, and 
HEL at EAFB.
    As proposed, the ABL aircraft would be housed in an existing hanger 
at EAFB. EAFB is also where the laser device would be integrated into 
the aircraft, where ground and flight tests would occur, and where 
initial flight tests of the aircraft would be performed. The ABL 
aircraft also would be flown to KAFB to conduct ground testing and 
would use existing runways at both bases. Additional flight tests would 
take place at WSMR. Both ground and flight tests would take place at 
VAFB and the PMNAWC Sea Range. Flight tests that include ABL 
destruction of a missile are proposed at WSMR and/or VAFB and the 
PMNAWC Sea Range.
    PDRR ABL ground tests\1\ are proposed to include tests of 
individual components, integration of the components on the ABL, and 
ground test of the integrated ABL. Flight tests are proposed to test 
each stage of the target acquisition and destruction process. Early 
flight tests will test the ARS, TILL, and BILL ability to provide 
accurate tracking and targeting. The flight tests will progress to use 
of SHEL, and will culminate with tests of the entire ABL element's 
ability to destroy a representative threat missile using the COIL HEL. 
Targets for flight tests are proposed to include target boards attached 
to balloons (MARTI \2\) and to piloted aircraft (Proteus \3\), sounding 
rockets, Lance, Black Brant, Aries missiles, and a limited number of 
representative threat missiles.
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    \1\ Ground tests include rotoplane, billboard, and range 
simulator targets. The billboard target is a piece of material such 
as Plexiglas or stainless steel that contains sensors. A rotoplane 
target is a spinning ground target designed to simulate a missile in 
flight.
    \2\ Missile Alternative Range Target Instrument (MARTI) Drop is 
a balloon with a target board attached used during flight tests.
    \3\ Proteus Aircraft is a manned aircraft with a target board 
attached that is used during flight tests.
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    Although the FEIS (1997) analyzed both ground and flight tests 
involving the COIL HEL, the majority of these tests have not yet been 
performed. All tests proposed for the ABL PDRR phase are summarized in 
the following table. The table includes the tests analyzed in the FEIS 
which have not yet been performed, as well as additional ground and 
flight tests required for testing the ARS, TILL, BILL, SHEL, and HEL.

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                                                                            Type of flight engagement for  each
                                                                                          aircraft
          Proposed test location                     Type of test         --------------------------------------
                                                                                          Proteus      Missile
                                                                            MARTI Drop    aircraft      launch
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VAFB......................................  Flight Tests.................            0            0           25
WSMR/Holloman.............................  Ground/Flight Tests..........           50           50           35
EAFB......................................  Ground/Flight Tests..........           50           50            0
KAFB......................................  Ground Tests.................            0            0            0
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Scoping Process

    This SEIS will assess environmental issues associated with the 
proposed action; reasonable alternatives including the no-action 
alternative; and foreseeable future actions and cumulative effects. 
Under the No Action alternative, there would be no change to ABL test 
activities from those documented in the PDRR ABL ROD signed in 
September 1997. Scoping will be conducted to identify environmental, 
safety and occupational health issues to be addressed in the SEIS. 
Public scoping meetings will be held as part of the SEIS preparation 
process, as described below. Public comments will be solicited to 
assist in scoping related environmental issues for analysis in the 
SEIS. Alternatives to the proposed actions may be identified verbally 
and in writing during the public scoping process.

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                Location                         Date                      Place                  Time (p.m.)
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Lancaster, CA...........................             4/1/02  Antelope Valley Inn 44055 North                7:00
                                                              Sierra Highway.

[[Page 14919]]


Lompoc, CA..............................             4/3/02  Lompoc City Council Chambers 100               7:00
                                                              Civic Center Plaza.
Albuquerque, NM.........................            4/15/02  Albuquerque Marriott 2101                      7:00
                                                              Louisiana Boulevard, NE.
Las Cruces, NM..........................            4/17/02  Holiday Inn de Las Cruces 201 E.               7:00
                                                              University Avenue.
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    Dated: March 25, 2002.
Patricia L. Toppings,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liason Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 02-7628 Filed 3-26-02; 1:49 pm]
BILLING CODE 5001-08-P