The first 747-400 airframe destined to become an Airborne Laser system arrived in Wichita, KS, last Saturday, to begin 18 months of modifications by Team ABL. Modifications, part of the ongoing $1.6 billion program definition and risk reduction phase of ABL development, will most noticeably add an ABL laser turret to the nose of the 747. Inside the Pentagon reported in December that Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre approved a $638.7 million cut to the program between fiscal years 2001...
