Aviation
Military /
USA
Airborne High Energy Laser
USAF receives high-energy laser from Lockheed Martin for testing on AC-130J
AC-47 & AC-130J
Master Sgt. Christopher Boitz, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Gabriela Ramos
10/12/2021
Last Thursday, October 7, Lockheed Martin announced the delivery of the first Airborne High Energy Laser (AHEL) system to the United States Air Force (USAF), which it will test on an AC-130J aircraft. The company also announced that the system's factory acceptance tests were completed prior to its preparation for military flight and ground tests with the USAF.
Rick Cordaro, Vice President of Advanced Product Solutions at Lockheed Martin, said: “Completion of this milestone is a major achievement for our customer. These milestones of mission success are a testament to our partnership with the United States Air Force in rapidly achieving major advances in the development of laser weapons systems.”
The system was delivered for integration with other systems in preparation for ground testing and, finally, flight testing on board the AC-130J aircraft.
In August 2020, the US Special Operations Command, for which the laser was developed, began a critical design review of the AHEL system during flight demonstrations on a real aircraft at the end of fiscal year 2022.
Lockheed Martin received from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, in July 2021, a flat-cost fee of US$12 million, in indefinite delivery, to award a five-year contract for technical services, integration, testing and demonstration of the AHEL system.
The company is also working with the Navy on a similar program and has already delivered the HELIOS laser for installation aboard an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. In addition, the company is developing a laser mission module for coastal combat ships.
AC-130H
Por U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Julianne Showalter - United States Air Force, Domínio público, via Wikimedia Commons
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Gabriela Ramos
Gabriela is the latest addition to the editorial team of our website, having provided us with her solid background in editing, publishing and photography, and her interest and training in aviation history and historiography. His good taste and common sense and great cleverness and sagacity in the selection of themes and materials greatly enriched our vocabulary and narrative style. Gabriela brought unusual predicates and came to stay, helping to point the way of success of our portal.
   
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