AFSOC Wants to Research Adding Laser Weapons to AC-130

[Lord ZeN]

Air Force Special Operations Command’s top officer said he wanted to explore the possibility of adding a laser or directed energy weapon to the AC-130J Ghostrider.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, head of AFSOC, told a crowd at NDIA’s SO/LIC conference in Washington D.C. on Tuesday that he thought the technology was mature enough to install a laser weapon onto the AC-130J gunship.

The Air Force has already decided it will mount a 105mm cannon onto the newest variant of the gunship after the Air Force chose to limit the W-model to smart bombs and the 30mm cannon. Heithold explained that the 105mm cannon was needed because it was more accurate and cheaper than firing the Small Diameter Bombs.

The Pentagon has continued to expand its research into direct energy weapons, especially the Navy. Top Navy officials have remain committed to incorporating lasers onto Navy warships.

The Air Force had invested in airborne lasers before former Defense Secretary Robert Gates killed the program. The Air Force had considered a program that would use lasers to protect the U.S. from ballistic missiles.

This is the first time an Air Force official has discussed adding a laser weapon to the AC-130.

AFSOC Wants to Research Adding Laser Weapons to AC-130 | Defense Tech

 

[S.U.R.B.]

That'll be the best thing which can happen to an AC-130.Something that SOCOM can use very effectively.It's a silent weapon , not on a stealth/silent platform though. But the platform can fly far away from the risk and yet keep it's weapon aimed at the target.The precision can be guaranteed with a Laser.

My questions regards the weapon system.

1-What category of laser can effectively be used to blind the ground target or to destroy them to be inoperable?
Can it be the following IR laser weapon system that was introduced in the US navy (LaWS).

Can LaWS be mounted on an C-130?
Taking out a UAV or any aircraft vs a heavily armored ground target are two different stories , No?
May be that's where the 105mm canon comes into play as the article suggests.So, USAF wants to keep it on board.
Or is it like that the covert operation will only have the laser weapon system while the rest will keep on the stand off missiles ,guided bombs and the conventional cannons...?



2-Being a high energy weapon itself.Can it's source(the platform) not be traced from ground based IR detectors?
This can increase the risk for the crew if there is a covert air defence system present on the ground, or is tracing the AC-130's activity from the air?



So, my next question regarding the platform.

3-Is AC-130 the right platform for this weapon...
Or is it like an experimental platform for judging the efficiency of the weapon ,which could later on be installed on an improved aircraft?




@gambit @SvenSvensonov , please help me out here.I'll hold in high esteem any of your thoughts on this topic.
Thank you.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

That'll be the best thing which can happen to an AC-130.Something that SOCOM can use very effectively.It's a silent weapon , not on a stealth/silent platform though. But the platform can fly far away from the risk and yet keep it's weapon aimed at the target.The precision can be guaranteed with a Laser.

My questions regards the weapon system.

1-What category of laser can effectively be used to blind the ground target or to destroy them to be inoperable?
Can it be the following IR laser weapon system that was introduced in the US navy (LaWS).

Can LaWS be mounted on an C-130?
Taking out a UAV or any aircraft vs a heavily armored ground target are two different stories , No?
May be that's where the 105mm canon comes into play as the article suggests.So, USAF wants to keep it on board.
Or is it like that the covert operation will only have the laser weapon system while the rest will keep on the stand off missiles ,guided bombs and the conventional cannons...?



2-Being a high energy weapon itself.Can it's source(the platform) not be traced from ground based IR detectors?
This can increase the risk for the crew if there is a covert air defence system present on the ground, or is tracing the AC-130's activity from the air?



So, my next question regarding the platform.

3-Is AC-130 the right platform for this weapon...
Or is it like an experimental platform for judging the efficiency of the weapon ,which could later on be installed on an improved aircraft?




@gambit @SvenSvensonov , please help me out here.I'll hold in high esteem any of your thoughts on this topic.
Thank you.

On question number 1: What category of laser can effectively be used to blind the ground target or to destroy them to be inoperable?

The US military is actively designing and testing a system called the Advanced Tactical Laser for use on the AC-130. This is a 100 Kw design with an expected range of 20 Km.

According to the USAF, this system was first tested in 2008:

Boeing Installs High-Energy Laser on Laser Gunship Aircraft - Military Embedded Systems

Boeing's advanced tactical laser "defeats" ground target in flight test - Laser Focus World

This wont be a LaWS type system, it will be a laser howitzer. A high energy, targeted system designed specifically to eliminate ground targets, as seen in this demonstration..

On question Number 2: Being a high energy weapon itself.Can it's source(the platform) not be traced from ground based IR detectors?

It's a concern, but no more than using the same sensors to detect an orbiting aircraft instead of the laser. Once the effects of a laser are determined, a hostile may begin a sweep of the surrounding airspace via IR or Radar detection, or acoustic if they can, detecting the laser, being a smaller emission would be less advantageous than simply following the host aircraft using and same IR sensors.

It's no more concerning that using IR detection to find a B-52 or F-35. It's a problem, good military planners will account for ground or air based (or even space) IR platforms and direct their strike aircraft around (outside detection range, shielded by ECM, or by defeating the measure) them as best they can with the best actionable intelligence that they can gather.

On question 3: Is AC-130 the right platform for this weapon?

This is the one question I can't answer with any degree of certainty, so I'll say this:

If it works updated, fix it, but only replace it if the costs and necessity dictates. I'd like to see a newer system, but is it cost effective when the AC-130 was designed specifically for the CAS and ground suppression role? A new system designed from the ground up for CAS, one that has suppressed emissions would be nice, but ultimately this is still decades away since no program is as of yet ongoing - it would be costly too, especially at a time of shrinking budgets.

In the mean time the AC-130 will act as a stop gap.

 

[S.U.R.B.]

On question number 1: What category of laser can effectively be used to blind the ground target or to destroy them to be inoperable?

The US military is actively designing and testing a system called the Advanced Tactical Laser for use on the AC-130. This is a 100 Kw design with an expected range of 20 Km.

According to the USAF, this system was first tested in 2008:

Boeing Installs High-Energy Laser on Laser Gunship Aircraft - Military Embedded Systems

Boeing's advanced tactical laser "defeats" ground target in flight test - Laser Focus World

This wont be a LaWS type system, it will be a laser howitzer. A high energy, targeted system designed specifically to eliminate ground targets, as seen in this demonstration..

On question Number 2: Being a high energy weapon itself.Can it's source(the platform) not be traced from ground based IR detectors?

It's a concern, but no more than using the same sensors to detect an orbiting aircraft instead of the laser. Once the effects of a laser are determined, a hostile may begin a sweep of the surrounding airspace via IR or Radar detection, or acoustic if they can, detecting the laser, being a smaller emission would be less advantageous than simply following the host aircraft using and same IR sensors.

It's no more concerning that using IR detection to find a B-52 or F-35. It's a problem, good military planners will account for ground or air based (or even space) IR platforms and direct their strike aircraft around (outside detection range, shielded by ECM, or by defeating the measure) them as best they can with the best actionable intelligence that they can gather.

On question 3: Is AC-130 the right platform for this weapon?

This is the one question I can't answer with any degree of certainty, so I'll say this:

If it works updated, fix it, but only replace it if the costs and necessity dictates. I'd like to see a newer system, but is it cost effective when the AC-130 was designed specifically for the CAS and ground suppression role? A new system designed from the ground up for CAS, one that has suppressed emissions would be nice, but ultimately this is still decades away since no program is as of yet ongoing - it would be costly too, especially at a time of shrinking budgets.

In the mean time the AC-130 will act as a stop gap.

That was quick.

20km range is effective enough against any of the manpads that the terrorists may posses.That 30-kilowatt fiber laser weapon's demonstration is something that i've missed.No mention of the AC, but since it's Lockheed Martin, one can say that i'll be the AC-130.Nice BBQ there.
Thanks mate.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

That was quick.

That 30-kilowatt fiber laser weapon's demonstration is something that i've missed.No mention of the AC, but since it's Lockheed Martin, one can say that i'll be the AC-130.Nice BBQ there.

You'll just have to trust me on this. There haven't been any public updates since 2008. There are non-public ones though.

The best source, coming directly from the USAF, was unfortunately removed - http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123154924

 

[S.U.R.B.]

You'll just have to trust me on this. There haven't been any public updates since 2008. There are non-public ones though.

The best source, coming directly from the USAF, was unfortunately removed - http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123154924

It's in their news section.I have tried to search it out.Is it the following link?

Advanced tactical laser aircraft fires high-power laser in flight > U.S. Air Force > Article Display

 

[SvenSvensonov]

It's in their news section.I have tried to search it out.Is it the following link?

Advanced tactical laser aircraft fires high-power laser in flight > U.S. Air Force > Article Display

No it's not. The link I'm looking for had operational details and analysis - that ones a bit too devoid of anything useful... or interesting for that matter (nothing on power, range or time on target). I'll talk to some of my buds at ONI and see if they can track it down off a US military database for me. Most of the official new has since been removed, I might be able to recover it.

In the mean time, here's some news/info on other project.

Here's the 30 Kw test video - 7 seconds to burn a hole, not bad, especially since it's being done from an orbiting NC-130:

Northrup Grumman is working on its own:

Northrop Grumman passes an important milestone

Science fiction fans and generals alike have long fantasized about what it'd be like to have a laser weapon at their command. Now at last such dreams are nearing reality. After years of steady milestone progress, military contractor Northrop Grumman has reached a significant mark -- the first 100 kW steady-state laser.

The laser is part of the Joint High-Powered Solid State Laser Phase 3 Program, which combines 8 lasers in chain fashion to create a "superlaser" of sorts. Each laser can deliver up to 15.3 kW individually and is about the size of a large briefcase. Together they form a unit about the size of a couple garbage dumpsters stacked together, which can deliver a peak beam of 105.5 kW. The device has operated continuously for 5 minutes, a major landmark in integrity.

The beam quality is an impressive 3.0 or better, and full power is reached in 0.6 seconds.

At 100 kW, the laser is capable of delivering a military-ready deadly beam. The unit could see deployment aboard next-generation battleships and cruisers or aboard large aircraft. States a company release, "In fact, many militarily useful effects can be achieved by laser weapons of 25 kW or 50 kW, provided this energy is transmitted with good beam quality, as our system does."

However, the relatively large weight and high power requirements remain obstacles to deploying the lethal laser.

Northrop Grumman is not satisfied with the significant breakthrough. They want to continue to shrink the device so that one day it might be portable on the battlefield. Dan Wildt, vice president of Northrop's directed energy systems program, adds, "It is still a little heavy and a little big."

DailyTech - Northrop Grumman Pumps Laser's Power to War-Ready 100 kW

...

And just for fun, here's a few more videos on US laser programs:

 

[S.U.R.B.]

No it's not. The link I'm looking for had operational details and analysis - that ones a bit too devoid of anything useful... or interesting for that matter (nothing on power, ranger or time on target). I'll talk to some of my buds at ONI can track it down off a US military database for me. Most of the official new has since been removed, I might be able to recover it.

In the mean time, here's some news/info on other project.
Here's the 30 Kw test video - 7 seconds to burn a hole, not bad, especially since it's being done from an orbiting NC-130:

Northrup Grumman is working on its own:

Northrop Grumman passes an important milestone

Science fiction fans and generals alike have long fantasized about what it'd be like to have a laser weapon at their command. Now at last such dreams are nearing reality. After years of steady milestone progress, military contractor Northrop Grumman has reached a significant mark -- the first 100 kW steady-state laser.

The laser is part of the Joint High-Powered Solid State Laser Phase 3 Program, which combines 8 lasers in chain fashion to create a "superlaser" of sorts. Each laser can deliver up to 15.3 kW individually and is about the size of a large briefcase. Together they form a unit about the size of a couple garbage dumpsters stacked together, which can deliver a peak beam of 105.5 kW. The device has operated continuously for 5 minutes, a major landmark in integrity.

The beam quality is an impressive 3.0 or better, and full power is reached in 0.6 seconds.

At 100 kW, the laser is capable of delivering a military-ready deadly beam. The unit could see deployment aboard next-generation battleships and cruisers or aboard large aircraft. States a company release, "In fact, many militarily useful effects can be achieved by laser weapons of 25 kW or 50 kW, provided this energy is transmitted with good beam quality, as our system does."

However, the relatively large weight and high power requirements remain obstacles to deploying the lethal laser.

Northrop Grumman is not satisfied with the significant breakthrough. They want to continue to shrink the device so that one day it might be portable on the battlefield. Dan Wildt, vice president of Northrop's directed energy systems program, adds, "It is still a little heavy and a little big."

DailyTech - Northrop Grumman Pumps Laser's Power to War-Ready 100 kW

...

And just for fun, here's a few more videos on US laser programs:

Wow! beats any weapon in accuracy/precision.

BTW those hills back there in the first video where mortars are being targeted look almost like the Margalla hills of Islamabad.(lol) Looks like that's how close we can get to that.

 

[Transhumanist]

BTW those hills back there in the first video where mortars are being targeted look almost like the Margalla hills of Islamabad.(lol) Looks like that's how close we can get to that.

On that note, any major updates coming out of Pakistan regarding directed energy weapons?

The company I work for, a Norwegian defense contractor, may or may not being working on a portable laser weapons system.

ATHENA is the latest coming from the US: Turning Up The Heat: Latest Evolution Of Lockheed Martin Laser Weapon System Stops Truck In Field Test · Lockheed Martin

 

[S.U.R.B.]

On that note, any major updates coming out of Pakistan regarding directed energy weapons?

The company I work for, a Norwegian defense contractor, may or may not being working on a portable laser weapons system.

Ah! i'm sorry to disappoint you, but the only way we can make use of LASER in our weapons is to deliver a conventional weapon to it's target like ATGM's or Air borne weapons made by Air weapons complex ( AWC).
No way we'll be able to use laser as a weapon any time in near future, which requires a lot of research and resources of course.

 

[AMDR]

Looks like the one they wanted to put on the Predator-C

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lasers are the future

 

[S.U.R.B.]

The company I work for, a Norwegian defense contractor, may or may not being working on a portable laser weapons system.

(So, it works in cold as well? jk)
Great work you are doing there.
Making Norway Stronker! eh?


Feeling very sorry at the loss of life of Norwegian ambassador to Pakistan Mr.Leif H Larsen in a crash yesterday.Most unfortunate and defaming for my country which is already in the limelight for such horrible incidents.

The hel Md, as sven already has posted a video about it.

The latest test, carried out in Florida, saw the weapon used in fog, rain and wind - and it performed perfectly.
Display \/\/\/

 

[SvenSvensonov]

The hel Md, as sven already has posted a video about it.

The latest test, carried out in Florida, saw the weapon used in fog, rain and wind - and it performed perfectly.

Have you seen the newest one? I did an article a few months back, here's a teaser:

And here's the actual article:

Lockheed's New Laser Super Turret Could Change Air Combat Forever

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Amazing technology. A taste of the future ....

 

[S.U.R.B.]

Have you seen the newest one? I did an article a few months back, here's a teaser:

And here's the actual article:

Lockheed's New Laser Super Turret Could Change Air Combat Forever

Air borne and maintained on a civilian aircraft.With a 360 degree coverage of laser.An ability to engage multiple targets at a time.The rival party has everything to lose.You were right, star trek is here.

(BTW star trek series is a thing i still have to watch.Seen few teasers of that stuff here an there.But could't find the time to watch it.)

Next in line can be to experiment it on a space ship type aircraft ,after the platform is ready.The advent of space wars.