Boeing announced May 19 that it has begun firing the advanced tactical laser that has been integrated onto its host C-130 platform in ground tests. The first successful firing of the high-energy chemical laser occurred May 13 at Kirtland AFB, N.M. Additional ground tests are planned, followed by tests from the air against mission-representative targets, the company said. “Later this year, we will fire the laser in-flight at ground targets, demonstrating the military utility of this transformational directed energy weapon,” said Scott Fancher, VP and GM of Boeing Missile Defense Systems.
After months of debate and sometimes public tension, the Space Force and Intelligence Community are making progress on establishing ways to work together, officials said this week—to the point where one predicted there will soon be “a sharing of data like we've never seen before.”