The AC-130 gunships were used during the Vietnam War to destroy enemy supply ships. The Hercules gunships now use longer-range precision guided weapons such as GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs and Hellfire anti-tank rockets. The US Air Force recently began a pilot program to install a high-energy laser on the AC-130J gunship. The gunship will be able to injure or damage equipment from a distance using the laser weapon system.
Lockheed Martin has been contracted by the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) to develop a laser weapon system for its AC-130J warships. The 60-kilowatt Airborne High Energy Laser (AHEL), a laser weapon capable of vaporizing targets at long distances, is a 60-kilowatt weapon. You can use the laser to destroy targets both in the air or on the ground. This weapon can also be used in detonating enemy ammunition dumps. The Air Force and Lockheed Martin are planning to test the AHEL on AC-130J gunships in the next few years. The weapon will eventually be installed on the AC-130J. The aircraft will also be able operate in clandestine missions.
For many years, the Air Force Special Operations Command had been contemplating the possibility of a laser weapon. The laser weapon system will allow the AC-130J Ghostrider to attack enemies from long ranges and without leaving any trace of the attack. The laser weapon system can be used to strike targets at great distances without the need for optics. The laser can also be mounted on an aircraft's underside. This will enable aircraft to carry out covert operations that could be done in the future.
The Air Force plans to mount a laser weapon on AC-130J Ghostrider gunships in the near future. The Air Force already has the initial design completed, and the contractor works on the implementation and testing. The next stage will involve ground and flight testing, and the installation of the weapon on the AC-130J. According to the Air Force's statement, it expects to begin testing the laser weapon system during the fiscal year 2022.
The US Air Force will continue to test the AC-130J laser system on the aircraft, and the contractor has plans to start integrating the weapon system on the AC-130J within the next year. AC-130J aircraft can be limited in its operational range due to its large weight. The gunship can still be stopped by air defense before it reaches the target, thanks to the AHEL. This weapon will enable the Ghostrider's to fire precision-guided missiles such as GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs or Hellfire missiles.
In order to complete the AHEL program, the laser must be integrated into the aircraft’s beam control system. The Air Force plans to begin flight testing the system on an AC-130J Ghostrider in 2022. Although testing has not been announced by the contractor, it is expected that the system will be flown in the fiscal year 2023.