US Air Force Reportedly Set to Test Its Aircraft Laser Weapon in Flight Next Year

In January 2019, Lockheed Martin received a contract to integrate the Airborne High Energy Laser (AHEL) with the AC-130 aircraft. But it is still uncertain at the moment what the program's long-term prospects will be, and its fate might depend on the results of the 2023 tests.

Next year, the US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) will conduct a test of an airborne laser on an AC-130J Ghostrider gunship, Breaking Defense reported, citing spokeswoman Lt. Col. Becky Heyse.

Heyse reportedly told the outlet that a flying demonstration of Lockheed Martin's AHEL, integrated on a Ghostrider, will begin in summer 2023 and continue through the fall of that year.

"Results of the testing will determine future operational usage,” she added. “At this time there is no concept of operation/employment developed for the [high energy laser]."

According to the report, after completing factory acceptance testing of the system, Lockheed shipped the 60-watt laser to AFSOC in October 2021. At that time, 2022 was the planned year for flying demonstrations, but it was eventually postponed for unknown reasons.

A Lockheed representative, in turn, supposedly said that the company is still working with AFSOC while it conducts ground testing and combines the AHEL laser with other subsystems, including thermal, power management, and beam control.

In order to enable a projected flight test in FY23, the corporation is reportedly "supporting all AHEL program milestones to include Full Laser Characterization, Full System Integration & High Power Checkout, and Full System Test in support of a planned Flight Test."

According to the report, due to the anticipated beginning of flight testing, US Special Operations Command requested an additional $4 million to the original $16 million in FY23 compared to FY22 levels to continue laser integration on the AC-130J. This money also allegedly pays for aircraft fit inspections and ground testing before the first flight.

However, it will be up to AFSOC to decide whether it can secure sufficient funding to convert the program from a technical development into a program of record following the final flying demonstration. Technical trade-offs, such as choosing whether the laser's size, weight, and power requirements are more important than alternative possible capability increases, may also influence the choice.

Moreover, the US Air Force still goes through the multi-year modernization process of the existing AC-130Js, converting them from the so-called Block 20 version to the newer Block 30 variant. The Lockheed AHEL was reportedly created for the AC-130J Block 20 variant, which the outlet pointed out that at the moment it is unclear how long or how much money it will cost to change the laser configuration.

For almost ten years now, AFSOC has been working toward the elusive objective of mounting a directed energy weapon aboard an AC-130J gunship. With a Precision Strike Package that contains 30mm and 105mm cannons and the ability to fire precision-guided weapons like the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, AGM-114 Hellfire missile, and AGM-176 Griffin, the Ghostrider already has enough lethal power.

However, a high energy laser would give AFSOC a way to covertly shoot down missiles or take out enemy electronics because the laser would be invisible to the purported enemy as it emerged from the gunship.