Boeing officials say the Airborne Laser team just completed tests that show the “lasing duration and power” of the high energy laser functions at levels “suitable for the destruction of multiple classes of ballistic missiles.” That should serve the program well should the Pentagon decide to move it forward from its post-QDR status as a technology demonstrator.
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.