The United States conducted tests of a laser weapon on an AC-130 aircraft (Getty)

The Russian "News Re" website announced that the US Air Force's Special Operations Command decided to temporarily halt testing of the laser weapon system installed on the Lockheed AC-130 aircraft due to technical problems identified during the tests.

News Re reported from the "The War Zone" website that the option of installing a laser cannon on the plane was explored as part of a change in the concept of using the modern "Lockheed AC-130".

The US military administration confirmed that the 105-millimeter guns installed on the Lockheed AC-130 plane were not powerful enough, and that a “laser weapon” could replace these weapons.

However, the laser weapon system was confirmed to have problems after performing complex, high-energy operations during outdoor ground testing.

Britain and Israel

According to News Re, Lockheed Martin received the initial contract to develop the laser system in 2019. Flight tests of the Lockheed AC-130 aircraft equipped with a laser were scheduled to take place in 2021, but the date was postponed more than once.

The report stated that Britain, for its part, announced successful tests of this type of weapon. Last January, the British Ministry of Defense reported that it had tested the Dragon Fire system in the Hebrides Islands, where this system succeeded in carrying out the first high-power fire attack on air targets.

The Times then wrote that the laser hit drones approaching different locations and at a distance of several kilometers. British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that the army and navy are considering using "Dragonfire" as part of their air defense capabilities.

The Russian website adds that Israel is also conducting similar tests to develop laser weapons.

Russia too

News Re highlighted that work on creating laser weapons in Russia began in 2009, when Yuri Zaitsev, academic advisor to the Russian Academy of Engineering Sciences, spoke about a project for combat aircraft with laser weapons.

In 2016, Yuri Borisov, who at the time was Deputy Defense Minister and now heads the Russian Federal Space Agency, said: “These are not exotic prototypes, and they are not experimental. We have already adopted laser weapons.”

According to the report, unlimited ammunition and low cost are one of the main advantages of laser systems used for military purposes.

According to the British Ministry of Defense, the cost of one “shot” of “Dragon Fire” is less than $13.

News Re quoted military expert Alexander Khramchikhin that laser weapons may become the only effective means of combating drones.

Ukrainian offer

Khramchikhin added that Russia needs to produce this product urgently and in large quantities to confront the drones that attack facilities on Russian territory.

According to Corresponding Member of the Academy of Military Sciences, Alexander Bartosz, it is too early to draw any clear conclusions about the use of lasers in combat conditions. The Russian website quoted him as saying that it is difficult to judge the extent of real progress made by the British and Americans in creating laser weapons.

The Russian website confirmed that Alexei Goncharenko, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament from the European Solidarity Party, spoke in an interview with Newsweek magazine that Kiev had expressed its readiness to test the British “Dragonfire” system on its territory.

In response, the British Ministry of Defense stated that the weapon is in the research stage, and there are no plans to deploy it in Ukraine.

Khramchikhin continues, saying that NATO can - in theory - transfer anything to Ukraine except nuclear weapons, and that it is very important for Russia to stop worrying, and deal directly with what will be transferred.

Source: Russian press