Boeing officials say the Airborne Laser team just completed tests that show the “lasing duration and power” of the high energy laser functions at levels “suitable for the destruction of multiple classes of ballistic missiles.” That should serve the program well should the Pentagon decide to move it forward from its post-QDR status as a technology demonstrator.
The Pentagon nuclear command, control, and communications enterprise is decades old and desperate for an upgrade, says the head of U.S. Strategic Command, and artificial intelligence could help fortify nuclear C3 for its no-fail mission.