A Boeing official on Sept. 4 reiterated what the Airborne Laser program director, Air Force Col. John Daniels, explained in June: If Congress proceeds with proposed cuts to the ABL program, they will delay it by two years. The Associated Press news service reports that Boeing Vice President Greg Hyslop confirmed that dire prediction and pointed to the program’s recent successes.
The Pentagon announced new long-term agreements with four defense companies May 13 to develop and produce large numbers of low-cost cruise missiles. And while the effort will focus mostly on the Army to start, it pairs with Air Force efforts to find more affordable munitions.