2024-03-27 08:27:56
The US Air Force has abandoned flight tests of the AC-130J Ghostrider fire support aircraft armed with a laser cannon. This was reported by the US Air Force Special Operations Command, The War Zone (TWZ) reports, Day.Az reports with reference to Lenta.ru.
The department emphasized that the prototype Airborne High Energy Laser (AHEL) laser system will no longer be tested on the AC-130J. “After performing significant complex work at high power during open-air ground testing, the AHEL solid-state laser system encountered technical problems,” it said. Due to these problems, the integration of AHEL into aircraft equipment was delayed.
The military initially wanted to flight test the AC-130J with the AHEL system in fiscal year 2021, but the deadline was pushed back several times. Air Force Special Operations Command said last November that the laser-equipped aircraft would make its first flight in January 2024, but the flight did not take place.
It is noted that the Pentagon’s budget request for the 2025 fiscal year does not include funding for the AHEL program. Budget documents explain this as an expected closure of the program in fiscal year 2024.
Lockheed Martin received the initial contract to supply the AHEL system in 2019. The company also led efforts to integrate the approximately 60-kilowatt system into the AC-130J.