Is the Airborne Laser program headed off into the sunset? There's just the one YAL-1A aircraft seen here, and plans for a second are being scrapped. (Credit: USAF photo by Jim Shryne)From IBDeditorials:
Defense: The Air Force airborne laser program successfully completes a simulated kill from a plane able to find, track and destroy a live ballistic missile. We can shoot down enemy missiles. Instead, we're shooting down the laser program.
The Aug. 10 effort was the third such test — sort of like a sniper sighting the target with the red dot of a laser without actually pulling the trigger. In early June, the airborne laser (ABL) program engaged two un-instrumented missiles. This was the first in-flight test against an instrumented target missile.
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My Comment: The test may have been successful .... but the program is going to be put into the garbage can when the next round of Pentagon budget cuts comes around.