Most of the applications of chemical laser are military applications, so the number of published articles in the open literature is limited.

Mid Infra-Red Advanced Chemical Laser (MIRACL) is the most known chemical laser in the American High Energy Laser System Test Facility (HELSTF) located at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), in south-central New Mexico.

It is designed to destroy enemy missiles in the air. It was the first megawatt-class, continuous wave, chemical laser built in the free world, and was operated first in 1980.

Because of its unique properties, it will be described in details (that were published):

• This laser can emit a continuous power of up to 2 Megawatts, for a short time (Up to a maximum of 70 seconds).
• The clear aperture of the special telescope used to direct this laser is 1.5 meters (!), with computer automatic tracking of the target.
• The beam quality is good.
• The laser demonstrated reliable operation in more than 150 lasing tests, with over 3,000 seconds of lasing time during the last decade.