Boeing has conducted three flight tests of the ground based mid-course defense system at Ft. Greeley, Alaska, including one intercept test. Boeing’s network and space systems president, Roger Krone, told reporters Monday at the AFA Air & Space Conference that the Missile Defense Agency’s next test—a hit-to-kill test—is on track for year end. During the most recent intercept test, the GMD intercepted a target, but did not have countermeasures, Krone said. He would not say if the next test would feature a countermeasure capability, but said, “We believe we have [that] capability at Ft. Greeley.”
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.