During the Vietnam War, the AC-130 gunships were used to destroy enemy supply convoys. Hercules gunships used longer-range precision guided guns like GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs (hellfire anti-tank ballistic missiles) and GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. The US Air Force has recently begun a pilot program to place a high-energy beam laser on the AC-130J gunship. The gunship can inflict injuries on combatants and cause equipment damage from far away with the laser weapon system.
Lockheed Martin has been selected by the Air Force Special Operations Command to create a new laser weapon system that will be used on its AC-130J gunships. The Airborne High Energy Laser, a 60-kilowatt beam of laser that can vaporize targets at long range, is the Airborne High Energy Laser. You can use this laser to target various targets on both the ground and in air. You can also use the weapon to explode enemy ammunition dumps. Lockheed Martin and Air Force are working together to test the AHEL with AC-130J gunships over the next few years. The weapon will be fitted to the AC-130J eventually and the aircraft can operate in clandestine operation.
The Air Force Special Operations Command has been considering the idea of a laser weapon for a number of years. The AC-130J Ghostrider can attack enemy at long ranges using the laser weapon system. It will not leave any trace of the attack. The laser can target targets miles away without the need to use optics. You can mount the laser on the underside of your aircraft. This will allow the aircraft to conduct covert attacks that could be inflicted in the future.
The Air Force intends to mount the laser weapon aboard AC-130J Ghostrider gunships over the next few decades. The Air Force already has the initial design completed, and the contractor works on the implementation and testing. The next stage will be ground- and flight-testing, followed by the installation and commissioning of the weapon aboard the AC-130J. According to the Air Force, the Laser Weapon System will be tested in fiscal 2022.
The US Air Force will continue to use the AC-130J's laser system to inspect the aircraft. The contractor plans to integrate the weapon system to the AC-130J over the next year. AC-130J aircraft is very heavy and could limit its range. However, the AHEL will allow the gunship to suppress air defense before it reaches its target. The weapon will also allow the Ghostrider to fire precision-guided munitions, such as Hellfire missiles, GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs, and AGM-176 Griffin anti-tank missiles.
The laser must be fully integrated into the aircraft's beam control systems in order to move on to the next stage of the AHEL project. The Air Force plans to begin flight testing the system on an AC-130J Ghostrider in 2022. The contractor has not yet stated when testing will commence, but the contract stipulates that the system must be tested before the end fiscal year 2023.