The Airborne Laser, a highly modified Boeing 747-400, made its maiden flight on Thursday, 18 July 02, circling over western Kansas for one hour and 22 minutes before returning to its takeoff location at McConnell AFB. The aircraft, designated YAL-1A, has been at the Boeing modification facility adjacent to McConnell since January 2002 undergoing changes to prepare it for its intended role as the primary boost-phase component in the Missile Defense Agency's ballistic missile defense program. Late this year, after a series of almost a dozen functional check flights, the aircraft will be painted Air Force gray and flown to Edwards AFB for a two-year-long series of tests, which will demonstrate the effectiveness of its megawatt-class Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL) and a highly sophisticated optical system designed to track missiles and put the laser beam on target. The tests are scheduled to culminate in the shoot-down of a ballistic missile in late 2004.