US Air Force Delays Airborne Laser Weapon Test Until 2023 Written 1 July 2020
Artist's impression of an airborne laser | Lockheed Martin; Aerospace America
Defense News reports that Air Force Research Laboratory’s Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) program manager Jeff Heggemeier said that the service’s “long-planned test of an airborne laser weapon aboard a fighter jet has been delayed until 2023 due to technical challenges and complications spurred by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.” Defense News explains that “SHiELD is comprised of three elements: the laser itself, which is being developed by Lockheed Martin; the beam control system made by Northrop Grumman; and the pod that encases the weapons system, from Boeing.” Heggemeier “said the pod is under construction, with integration of the laser and beam control system planned to start next year.”
Full Story (Defense News)