It’s big casino time for the missile defense program, which over the next year will stage four key tests of the pivotal Ground-based Mid-Course Missile Defense system. Two previous tests failed, mostly because of technical glitches. Missile interceptors are already in the ground in Alaska and California and ready to test. A Missile Defense Agency insider told the Huntsville (Ala.) Times that it’s time to “wring out the systems.”
With a shrinking fleet and growing operational demand, Air Force Special Operations Command sees the new OA-1K combat scout aircraft as key to a “new era,” officials say.