The prototype Airborne Laser successfully used its passive sensors to autonomously locate, acquire, target, and track an afterburning F-16 fighter moving vertically at a rapid rate of ascent, Air Force Lt. Gen. Trey Obering, head of the Missile Defense Agency, said in a May 9 statement. It was the first such test for the ABL. Obering called it “a significant milestone” that demonstrated a “number of key system capabilities.” Obering has said that ABL is on course to pass a series of “knowledge points” leading to a lethal shootdown of a boosting missile in 2009; however, Congress may be inclined to curtail the program in favor of other priorities.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.