ABL Shifts Back To Solid-Fuel Targets | AVIATION WEEK: "The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is planning a shootdown attempt by the 747-400F-based Airborne Laser against a solid-fuel target by the end of this month, according to MDA spokesman Rick Lehner.
Officials close to the program say that flight testing will shift back to solid-fueled targets for the time being. The likely target in the upcoming test is a Terrier Black Brant unguided sounding rocket, which was the first target engaged in February by ABL and mimics the early flight phases of a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM).
A planned test in October will attempt a shootdown of a solid-fueled target at three times the range of the February engagement, Lehner says."
