Laser

Innovative Laser Weapon – to Equip Aircraft and Drones

General Atomics is to start testing a potentially revolutionary weapon: a 150-kilowatt class laser. It is not the only company developing laser weapons, however, “the technology is ripe for application on an AC-130”, says Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, head of US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), in an interview with Breaking Defense.

General Atomics hopes to see the Command install a version of the weapon on the AC-130 gunship in the next few years. They also envision equipping the company’s new jet-powered Predator C Avenger drone with a laser derived from their High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS).

Heithold elaborated on the various possible targets for an AC-130 laser. The silent, invisible beam might be used prior to a hostage rescue mission, for example, to covertly disable motor vehicles, boats, airplanes or any other “escape mechanism” an enemy might use to move the hostages or flee from U.S. forces. The laser might also be used to disable or disrupt an enemy’s communications, he said.