Special operators in the US are stepping up their game as the military focuses on Russia and China.
Operators are looking for new weapons to be used in a future war.
One of SOCOM's workhorse airplanes may have a new high tech weapon: lasers.
While Russia's war in Ukraine continues, the US military is preparing for a conflict with China in the Pacific.
The US Special Operations Command is trying to deal with the increasing capabilities of the Chinese military.
SOCOM wants to put a high-energy laser weapon on the AC-130 gunship, which is one of the most deadly platforms.
The AC-130 gunship was first introduced in the 60's. The "pylon turn" technique allows it to fly in a wide circle above the target area without having to adjust its angle of attack.
The aircraft is a favorite among special-operations and conventional troops because of the amount of firepower it can bring down on the enemy and the extended time it can stay on target.
The AC-130J Ghostrider is a gunship that the US Air Force Special Operations Command wants to outfit with a high-energy laser weapon.
The weapon was turned over to the military for further tests after completion of factory acceptance testing, according to the company. Officials from SOCOM said at a special-operations industry conference in May that the experiments with the laser weapon were moving forward.
At the subsystem level, we're doing some integration. Rich Rodriguez is the technical director at SOCOM's program executive office for fixed-wing aircraft.
Rodriguez said a ground test of the weapon should take place within a few months, and other SOCOM officials said that if the ground tests are successful, the high-energy laser weapon will be fitted on an aircraft.
The commander of the Air Force Special Operations Command described the capabilities of a high-energy laser weapon to a magazine.
Four key targets are permanently disabled without the faintest bang, whoosh, thump, explosion, or even aircraft engine hum. The enemy doesn't have any communications, escape vehicle, electrical power, or intelligence. The team emerged from the compound minutes later. The raid was a success.
As the US military prepares to fight a near-peer adversary such as China or Russia, the Air Force Special Operations Command wants to build a laser weapon for its AC-130J Ghostrider fleet.
The AC-130 will have to change to stay relevant. A standoff cruise missile, which can be deployed by an AC-130 gunship or by its cargo aircraft, is one of the advanced weapon systems being developed by the Air Force Special Operations Command.
I would like an air-to-air capable weapon system in a fight with China. As for close-air-support operations with troops on the ground, the 105mm is the best weapon system for soft targets and for danger close restrictions.
It's important that the aircraft's weight is taken into account as it can limit its range and loiter time. One of the AC-130J Ghostrider's current weapons would have to be replaced if a high-energy laser weapon were to be developed.
The gunship's main weapons are the 30mm and 105mm cannons, as well as its ability to deploy standoff precision-guided munitions. The cannon would be swapped for a laser.
It is possible that laser weapons themselves are impractical. The US military has been struggling with their technological maturity, their cost, and whether they can be integrated onto ships, aircraft, and ground vehicles. For the last seven years, the project has been worked on.
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