The Anti-asteroid laser was a laser weapon that was developed to destroy asteroids outside of the atmosphere as well as being able to engage targets on the planet. It was destroyed during the Usean Rebellion.
History
The Anti-asteroid laser was a weapon created in the late 1990s after the discovery of the Ulysses 1994XF04 Asteroid, which led to the birth of many ideas for anti-asteroid superweapons such as this.
As far as can be told, the laser weapon was never determined to be efficient enough in defending the planet against the Ulysses asteroid (many of the anti-Ulysses projects ended this way), so it never reached a stage of full development like other projects such as the Stonehenge Turret Network. However, by the time the project was abandoned, it was still operational enough to be able to be launched into orbit and used to attack targets on Earth.
Usean Rebellion
At the start of the Usean Rebellion, the Usean Rebel Forces gained control of certain key areas across the continent, including the Comona Islands space station. At the time, this was where the laser weapon was being stored.
In August of 1998, the Rebel Forces decided to put the laser into operation by sending it into orbit to snipe at the Allied Forces from space, allowing them to win the war very quickly. The Allied Forces launched an aerial attack on the Comona Islands, and they managed to destroy every one of the facilities storing the laser weapon. The Rebels attempted to load the laser onto a space shuttle, but the shuttle was quickly destroyed.
This engagement was the last known mention of the laser weapon.
Design
The Anti-asteroid laser, not unlike the A-SAT laser, was a laser weapon developed to shoot chemical lasers from orbit. Being developed by the coalition of Usean countries at the time, the laser was planned to have two modes of attack: one that would engage space objects (as originally intended to destroy the Ulysses), and one that would engage targets on the planet. The latter was conceived due to a growing worry across the Usean continent that the Osean Federation or the Union of Yuktobanian Republics would attempt to take Usean land.
As mentioned, this laser may share similarities with the A-SAT laser. Both fire from orbit, and both are mounted onto satellites. However, they do have differences. For example, the A-SAT laser can only be attached onto the Arkbird, the spacecraft for which the laser was designed. It is unknown what satellite this laser weapon utilizes, but this laser is launched by space shuttle rather than Single-stage-to-orbit.
Trivia
- In Ace Combat 2, the shuttle being launched from the Comona Islands is listed as a target required for the mission, but is never stated why. The mission, Toy Box, focuses on the XB-10 rather than this laser weapon.