ABL Gets a New Test Unit:

March 23, 2006

The Air Force has activated a new unit at Edwards AFB, Calif., to take over test duties for the Airborne Laser, designated YAL-1A. The sole function of the new 417th Flight Test Squadron will be to conduct the ABL test program. Previously ABL testing fell under the 452nd FTS, which oversees flight testing of Predator and Global Hawk UAVs. The standup of the new squadron formalizes the priority for the program for the 412th Test Wing, according to Lt. Col. Barry St. Germain. The squadron will include about 750 personnel, including contractors. Currently, the YAL1A is in Wichita, Kan., receiving modifications to the sub-structure of the aircraft to accommodate the integration of the weapons system—scheduled for completion by the end of the calendar year.

Related Content

With Russia on Multiple Fronts, DOD Team in Ukraine Assesses Air Defense Needs

Dec. 3, 2021
A Defense Department team on the ground in Ukraine has been assessing what the country needs to protect itself from air, naval, electronic, and cyber warfare threats as Russian troops have gathered on multiple fronts, a senior Ukrainian defense official told Air Force Magazine, describing an emphasis on what assistance…

Raymond Cancels Trip After COVID-19 Contact

Dec. 3, 2021
Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond canceled a trip to California over the weekend after close contact with multiple individuals who tested positive for COVID-19, the Space Force confirmed Dec. 3. Raymond was scheduled to appear at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, Calif., to…

23,000 Airmen and Guardians Unvaccinated as Deadline for Guard and Reserve Passes

Dec. 3, 2021
More than 20,000 Airmen and Guardians across the Total Force remained unvaccinated against COVID-19 as the deadline for the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve passed Dec. 2. Out of more than 500,000 Total Force members, 95.3 percent were at least partially vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, according to data…

Air Force Looking at Ways to Electrify Airfield Operations

Dec. 3, 2021
The Air Force uses billions of gallons of fuel every year, the vast majority of it aviation fuel to power its fleet of aircraft. But as the Defense Department seeks to increase its energy efficiency and secure its power grids, the department’s biggest consumer of fuel is looking at ways…

Space Force Rideshare Launch Will Help Create ‘Freight Train to Space’

Dec. 2, 2021
The Space Test Program (STP)-3 launch scheduled for Dec. 5 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., will prototype new warfighter capabilities, add nuclear launch detection sensors to orbit, and enhance Space Force efforts to improve resiliency in a new “threat-driven paradigm.” In all, 16 payloads from Space Force, NASA,…

US, South Korea Seek to Broaden Alliance, Bolster Indo-Pacific Security

Dec. 2, 2021
As the Pentagon increasingly pivots its focus to strategic competition with China, the U.S. will look to expand its partnership with South Korea to increase security across the entire Indo-Pacific region, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said Dec. 2 during a visit to the northeastern Asian nation.

Congress Passes Continuing Resolution to Fund Government Through Feb. 18

Dec. 2, 2021
Congress passed a continuing resolution shortly before 9:30 p.m. Dec. 2 to keep the government funded through Feb. 18, capping a hectic day on Capitol Hill. The deal to keep the government open didn’t come together until the morning of Dec. 2, when House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Rosa DeLauro…

Biden Administration Outlines Space Priorities at First National Space Council Meeting

Dec. 1, 2021
The White House announced its United States Space Priorities Framework in a document released concurrently with Vice President Kamala Harris' first National Space Council meeting. Listed among five U.S. priorities is to “defend its national security interests from the growing scope and scale of space and counterspace threats.”