The airborne laser (ABL) projection of the United States is introduced in this paper. The composition,operation principle,technical and tactic target,battle concept for ABL weapon are summarized. The developing process for ABL project is reviewed from four stages:conceptual design,technical verification,subsystem integration test and overall system integration test. Then,the reasons for the failure of ABL plan are discussed from four aspects:technical restriction,operational application,policy change and operation management. Finally It gives some enlightenment on the development of high-tech weapons from the aspects of risk control,key technology evaluation,life-span demand demonstration and assessment.