The AC-130 gunships could be used to destroy supply convoys during the Vietnam War. Hercules gunships are now using long-range precision guided weaponry like GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs, Hellfire anti-tank missiles, and GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. The US Air Force recently began a pilot program to install a high-energy laser on the AC-130J gunship. The laser weapon system will allow the gunship to injure combatants or damage equipment at long distances.
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 Airborne High Energy Laser (AHEL) is a 60-kilowatt laser weapon that can vaporize a target at long range. The laser can be used to demolish various targets on the ground and in the air. It can also be used for detonating enemy ammo 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 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 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 be used without optics to target targets far away. The laser can be mounted to the aircraft's bottom. This will allow the aircraft to conduct covert attacks that could be inflicted in the future.
The Air Force plans to mount a laser weapon on AC-130J Ghostrider gunships in the near future. The initial design work has been completed by the Air Force, and the contractor is currently implementing and testing the weapon. The next stage of testing will include ground and air testing as well as the installation of 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 continues to test the AC-130J Laser system on the aircraft. In addition, the contractor plans on integrating the weapon systems on the AC-130J within one year. AC-130J aircraft can be limited in its operational range due to its large weight. However, the AHEL will enable the gunship to suppress any air defenses before it reaches its target. The Ghostrider will be able to fire precision-guided ammunition, including GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs (Hellfire missiles), and AGM-176 Griffin anti-tank weapons.
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.