The Air Force and Boeing on June 13 successfully fired the high-power laser aboard the advanced tactical laser (ATL) aircraft for the first time in flight during a test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. During the test, the ATL aircraft took off from Kirtland AFB, N.M., and fired its laser while flying over White Sands, hitting a target board located on the ground, Boeing said in a release yesterday. “We have demonstrated that an airborne system can fire a high-power laser in flight and deliver laser beam energy to a ground target,” said Gary Fitzmire, Boeing vice president and program director. More tests are planned to demonstrate ATL’s military utility in battlefield scenarios like urban operations. The ATL aircraft is a modified C-130H transport that carries a chemical laser fired out of a belly turret. It is designed to destroy, damage, or disable targets with little to no collateral damage.
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.