The Airborne Laser has aced another “significant development milestone,” says Air Force Lt. Gen. Trey Obering, head of the Missile Defense Agency, when it successfully completed its first of two low power system integration-active flight test knowledge points. In other words, the ABL’s battle management and beam control/fire control systems tracked, targeted, and engaged an airborne target. More tests follow before technicians install the aircraft’s Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser later this year at Edwards AFB, Calif.
The Thunderbirds will kick off their 2021 season on April 17, debuting an overhauled aerial performance routine following a 2020 air show season largely canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Air Force Demonstration Team will debut the new routine at the Cocoa Beach Air Show in Florida April…