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US arms goliath Boeing is pleased to announce it has been awarded an extra $30m by the US Air Force to keep its Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) raygun aeroplane in operation, following the original “technology demonstration” deal under which it was built. However, the technology appears yet to be demonstrated, as no inflight lasing has taken place.
The ATL consists of a 20-tonne weapons system installed in a C-130 medium cargo plane. It shouldn’t be confused with Boeing’s other, even more enormous laser-cannon aircraft, the jumbo-jet-based ICBM-toasting Airborne Laser (ABL). Boeing announced that the ATL had been completed last year, and said the first ground blasts had been fired in May - promising airborne zappings “this year”. Every significant ATL milestone, in fact, has been publicly broadcast so far.
Nonetheless, before revealing any airborne rayings, Boeing now says that it has already been given cash to keep the ATL available so that military customers can try it out for a while and see what it might be good for.
