The Airborne Laser program has completed successfully all its low-power phase of testing and demonstrated in flight that it could detect, track, target, and engage an airborne target, according to a statement from the Missile Defense Agency. Air Force Lt. Gen. Trey Obering III, MDA director, called the recent low-power test “one of the most important milestones to date” and prepares the way for installation of the high-power laser later this year.
With the Air Force in the midst of its biggest testing boom in decades, the Maintenance Operational Test (MxOT) Division at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., is making sure those tests include an often-overlooked perspective: that of maintainers.