It looks like once again the stuff of science fiction has become
reality. Boeing and the U.S. Air Force defeated a ground target
from the air on Sunday with the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL)
aircraft, demonstrating ATL's first air-to-ground, high-power laser
engagement of a tactically representative target.
Believes F136 Engine Would Face Same Development Problems As
Primary Engine
A proposed alternative engine for the F-35 Lightning II joint
strike fighter would cost far more than the existing engine and
push back the production timetable, Defense Secretary Robert M.
Gates said this week. Gates visited the Lockheed Martin F-35
factory in Fort Worth, Texas, Aug. 31.
GE Aviation and Rolls Royce have pitched the Pentagon on a new
business plan in which the companies would sell th DoD the F136
alternative JSF engine under a fixed-price contract.
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