A long-anticipated high-energy laser weapon will no longer be an option for Air Force special operations gunships after “technical challenges” forced leaders to scrap at least one idea for its use.
The Air Force’s Airborne High Energy Laser (AHEL) missed the “integration and flight test enablement period” for use on the AC-130J Ghost Rider gunship, making the high-tech weapon less likely to work as leaders originally envisioned. This means that there will be no fighting. Go to Military.com report.
According to the report, Air Force Special Operations Command has been pursuing the idea of installing high-energy lasers on fixed-wing aircraft since 2015, and Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to demonstrate such a system on an AC-130J in 2019. received.
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When Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, a former Air Force commander, explained the concept in 2017, he said, “All it takes is a slight bang, whoosh, thud, explosion, or even the noise of an aircraft engine,” according to the report. , the primary target will be permanently disabled.” “The enemy has no means of communication, no escape vehicles, no power, no means of retaliation.” [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance]. ”
Lochhead Martin delivered the system to the Air Force in 2021, but testing of the system was delayed until it announced that trials would begin in January 2024.
A U.S. Air Force AC-130J Ghost Rider gunship taxis down the flight line at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 19, 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Marcel Williams. This photo has been altered to blur aircraft and squadron identifiers for safety purposes.)
Those tests found that AHEL achieved “significant end-to-end high-power operation” during ground testing but missed the period of integration and flight testing, a command spokesperson told Military. told com.[refocus] Conduct ground tests to improve operations and reliability for successful handover for use by other agencies. ”
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This reality appears to have caused AFSOC to abandon attempts to incorporate laser weapons into future programs, with the report stating that the command’s fiscal year 2025 budget request will have zero projects, a change from the previous year’s $3 million request. , pointed out that the total amount was $15,387,000. Request in 2023.
An AC-130J Ghost Rider gunship takes off for a training mission over Hurlburt Field, Florida, Oct. 15, 2020. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Dennis Spain)
However, the report notes that laser weapons could have other uses in the Air Force, including potentially being installed on fighter jets and used as a defense system against incoming missiles.
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The Air Force did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
