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Air Force

Heithold Wants Laser On AC-130 By End Of Decade

Pat Host

Thursday, December 3rd, 2015

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Heithold Wants Laser On AC-130 By End Of Decade

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

The head of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) believes the service can put a high energy laser with both offensive and defensive capabilities on an AC-130 aircraft by the end of this decade.Air Force Gen. Bradley Heithold said Thursday he believes the technology is mature now. He’s identified an AC-130W as a test aircraft and has a “little bit” of science and technology (S&T) money to move the effort forward. Air Force spokesman Michael Raynor said Thursday the amount…

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