The Missile Defense Agency said that a ground-based interceptor missile launched from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., successfully intercepted a target missile launched from Kodiak, Alaska. According to an MDA release, “Initial indications are that the rocket motor system and the kill vehicle performed as designed.” The exercise also tested the Upgraded Early Warning Radar at Beale AFB, Calif., the Sea-Based X-band radar, and SPY-1 radar aboard an Aegis ballistic missile defense ship.
An Air Force F-16 pilot designed a collapsible ladder that weighs just six pounds and folds into the unused cockpit map case.