Directed Energy Weapons on Aircraft by 2020, Air Force Officials Say

Air Force officials said they are confident that the service can field a directed energy weapon on combat aircraft by 2020. "I want a high-energy laser on an AC-130J gunship by the close of this decade," Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, commander of the Air Force special operations command said Sept. 15 at the Air Force Association conference. "The technology is ripe [for doing this]. I have the space, I have the weight and I have the power on an AC-130J to put a high-energy laser on an aircraft."

See the full article at National Defense Magazine