A top Air Force scientist said a laser to replace the type of system used on the airborne laser testbed aircraft may not be too far away. “It’s getting very close,” said Howard Schlossberg, program manager for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, in a teleconference with reporters. The ALTB features a chemical oxygen-iodine laser, known as COIL, that requires some “nasty chemicals” to fire, he noted. It’s also quite heavy. The hope, Schlossberg said, is to replace that type of system with a solid-state laser that is lighter and more efficient. Industry officials currently are trying to figure out how to package a 100-kilowatt solid-state system onto aircraft, he said. That’s not an easy task, but one that should be “eminently doable,” he noted during Tuesday’s discussion. (For background on ALTB, see What’s Next for the Airborne Laser from the April issue of Air Force Magazine.)
Boeing Claims Progress on T-7 and Other Challenged Programs
April 25, 2025
Boeing appears to have become to overcome the problems that led to billions in losses on fixed-price defense contracts in recent years, point the company back toward profitabily, says Boeing president and CEO Kelly Ortberg.