Aerospace Group:

Air Force

AFSOC’s Laser Gunship Demo Slowed By Budget Turmoil

By Marc Selinger

Friday, February 23rd, 2018

SHARE:

AFSOC’s Laser Gunship Demo Slowed By Budget Turmoil

An AC-130J taxis the runway for its first official sortie Jan. 31, 2014, at Eglin AFB, Fla. Photo: Air Force.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Budget uncertainty has slowed efforts by U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) to test a solid-state laser weapon on an AC-130 gunship, according to the command’s leader.While AFSOC has been aiming to conduct the demonstration in 2020, it has not received all the money it needs to proceed, Air Force Lt. Gen. Brad Webb said Feb. 22. “I would love to get a fully funded program,” Webb told reporters at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium…

Unmanned Systems

In Response To Flag Concerns, DoD Looks To Reduce Drone Prices, As Order for 30,000 Looms

The Pentagon is bargain shopping for Group 1 drones, as other countries, including Ukraine and China, have taken advantage of consumer electronics-level prices to bolster their stables. “In last spring’s […]

Pentagon

Amid Questions On Weapons Stockpiles, Caine Says U.S. Has ‘Sufficient’ Munitions For Iran Operation

Pentagon leaders on Wednesday sought to quell concerns over the rate at which the U.S. is employing critical munitions in its military strike campaign against Iran, with lawmakers also pressing […]

Congress

SASC Leaders Criticize Trump’s Defense Strategy, Press Colby On Policy Shifts

Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) leadership on Tuesday criticized the Trump administration’s new National Defense Strategy (NDS) and pressed the Pentagon’s top policy official to explain the document’s priorities. SASC […]

Congress

Wicker Wants Legislation On DoD’s Equity Investments In Minerals Supply Chain

Legislation regarding equity investments by the Defense Department in critical mineral supply chains is needed to strengthen the larger defense industrial base and demonstrate to the “free market” that the […]