150 kW laser test planned

General Atomics next month will begin testing a 150-kilowatt class laser. Other companies also are developing laser weapons, and "we're looking at all of them," said Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, head of Air Force Special Operations Command, in an interview with Breaking Defense. He said the technology is ripe for application on an AC-130 gunship. General Atomics hopes to see AFSOC install a version of the weapon on the gunship in the next few years. The Air Force Research Laboratory and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will run the live-fire tests at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. (Source: Breaking Defense, 12/21/15) Gulf Coast note: AFSOC is headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Fla.