Remember the little target drone, sorry droid, that zapped a blindfolded Luke Skywalker during lightsaber training? Well here's the real thing. The US Missile Defense Agency has released video of the Dec. 2 hover test of Lockheed Martin's Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV-L). You can read Amy Butler's post on the test here. A hover test like this allows the vehicle to operate as it would outside the atmosphere.
Video: MDA
In the 20-sec. free-flight test in the National Hover Test Facility at Edwards AFB, Calif., the MKV-L used its propulsion system to hover while it acquired and tracked a simulated target. Lockheed's MKV-L design has a seeker-equipped carrier vehicle that dispenses and guides a small kill vehicle (see it strapped around its body).
