Air Force plan to put a laser cannon on a battle plane has hit an obstacle

Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has been itching to add a laser beam to the already brimming arsenal of its AC-130J Ghostrider gunships, yet plans for a high-powered add-on to the Air Force’s “ultimate battle plane” may have hit a significant obstacle. The laser weapons program is $58 million behind what’s required for a full program to start outfitting Ghostrider gunships with 60-kilowatt lasers by fiscal 2022, AFSOC commander Lt. Gen. Marshall Webb told lawmakers in April. By comparison, the laser-outfitted Strykers currently undergoing testing by the Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment for intercepting missiles and drones only fire at around 5 kilowatts. What does 12 times the power get you? A 60-kilowatt high-energy laser able to “achieve high-precision lethal effects on targets with little to no acoustic signature and very low collateral damage,” emphasized Webb in his opening statement.