Free Republic

The U.S. Air Force has taken delivery of the first prototype Airborne High Energy Laser, or AHEL, which is set to be flight tested on one of its AC-130J Ghostrider gunships next year. The service hopes to demonstrate the feasibility of adding this directed-energy weapon to the AC-130J's already very diverse arsenal, which could give these aircraft a unique capability to engage ground targets silently and stealthily.Lockheed Martin confirmed yesterday that it had completed factory acceptance testing for the AHEL and then turned the weapon over to the Air Force. The laser will now need to be integrated together with...

The AC-130J Ghostrider was delivered to Air Force Special Operations Command on March 6, 2019, in Crestview, Florid. (Image: U.S. Air Force, Senior Airman Caleb Pavao) The AC-130J Ghostrider gunship is officially the “most lethal aircraft” in Air Force Special Operations Command’s inventory. Close air support for America’s elite warriors dramatically improved this month when the improved gunship and its “Precision Strike Package” was unveiled Wednesday at Bob Skies Airport in Crestview, Florida. Special Forces Operators were previously assisted by the Block 20 version. “The AC-130J Block 30 is our most lethal aircraft in the AFSOC inventory...

HURLBURT FIELD, FLORIDA – In the not-too-distant future, when ground troops call for close-air support, the ‘Ghostrider’ and its deadly arsenal could come to their rescue. The AC-130J Ghostrider is set to be the most heavily-armed gunship in history, bristling with 30mm and 105mm cannons, AGM-176A Griffin missiles, and the ability to carry Hellfire missiles and GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. But that’s not all. Some day in the future, the Ghostrider could even be equipped with a high-energy laser. That’s right. Lasers. When it hits the battlefield in a few short years, the Ghostrider will be the most heavily armed...

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFNS) -- The first AC-130J Ghostrider landed here July 29, making it Air Force Special Operations Command’s first AC-130J. After completing the initial developmental test and evaluation by the 413th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, the aircraft will be flown by the 1st Special Operations Group Detachment 2 and maintained by the 1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron during its initial operational tests and evaluations at Hurlburt Field. “Putting it through these tests will allow us to wring out the AC-130J in a simulated combat environment, instead of the more rigid flight profiles...

The U.S. Air Force is buying 16 C-130J transports, for $100 million each, for conversion into AC-130J gunships. Equipping the new gunships will nearly double the price, and the first one won't arrive for seven years. These will replace older AC-130H gunships. The air force will keep 17 more recent (1990s) AC-130Us. The AC-130U has an additional 25mm autocannon, and has the capability to track more than one target at a time. The AC-130H gunship (nicknamed Spooky) is a 69 ton, four engine aircraft armed with two 20mm machine-guns, a 40mm autocannon and a 105mm howitzer. While the aircraft can...