Oh, here is an article on the NEXT GENERATION Spooky....
http://cooltech.iafrica.com/technews/899134.htm
"Devastating new laser weapon
by Luke Tagg
Posted Mon, 18 Feb 2002
Not merely content with a gunship capable of ripping an entire convoy to shreds in a matter of seconds, the US military has been given the go-ahead to fit a brand new laser weapon to its flagship bully - the AC-130 Spectre gunship. Firing beams at the speed of light, the laser will be the most deadly yet effective weapon on the battleground.
The AC-130 has been in active service since 1972 and was first used in the Vietnam War, where its immensely powerful array of weapons caused death and destruction on a wide scale. According to the Sunday Telegraph the gunship is now ready for the next evolution - a laser weapon capable of shooting down missiles, aircraft, ground radar stations and just about any damn thing that represents a threat to the US.
The move was no doubt precipitated by the recent conflict in Afghanistan, where the AC-130 Spectre has been winning few hearts but a whole bunch of respect as it seeks out and destroys fleeing Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces with savage accuracy. The new laser-fitted gunship will be called the AC-X and has already been dubbed by US defence officials as the "Son of Spectre".
The laser system will join an inventory of weaponry that would make any John Woo movie look like a passive drama. Existing weaponry on the AC-130 includes twin 20-mm cannons, a 40-mm cannon and a 105-mm howitzer, and certain versions carry a gatling gun for good measure. All these weapons pale into insignificance, however, with the addition of its most sophisticated weapon yet.
The laser weapon is known as a Coil (chemical oxygen iodine laser), and can be used for both lethal and non-lethal attacks. The laser strikes targets at the speed of light, drawing power from a chemical reaction which is converted to laser energy, which means that it can fire all night as long as nothing happens to the power source.
Son of Spectre is not likely to see combat in Afghanistan, but should be ready in two years for the next Bush crusade.
The Spectre will require a crew of thirteen, including five officers (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, fire control officer, electronic warfare officer) and eight enlisted crew including two television observers, who will use TV and infra-red images to direct the gunners on target.
The Telegraph quoted the editor of Jane's Air Launched Weapons - Rob Hewson - who said that the US has been testing laser weapons at secret desert test sites for years.
"The laser will be the atomic weapon of the 21st century," said Hewson. "Since the 1970s, US scientists have conducted a series of secret experiments in the Nevada desert using lasers.
"We know that they had lasers capable of causing immense damage but they needed huge power packs. This remains a problem and this is why a laser weapon can only be fitted on an air frame the size of the AC-130. But advances will be made and the power plant will shrink and one day it will dominate the battle field."
The AC-130 was the spawn of the old C-130 Hercules troop transport aircraft, and as such is a slow, lumbering target which is extremely vulnerable to ground fire. The advantage (apart from being able to kill, maim and destroy with deadly efficiency) is that it can go for more than THE TECH SET
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two thousand kilometres without refueling and can hang around a combat area picking off any refugees who escaped the initial carnage.
Once the Coil system has been developed to its full potential (and believe me it will be), the USAF plans to fit it to other manned and unmanned aircraft as well. Within the decade it could be a standard weapons system on fighters, bombers and warships.
Which all, in a nutshell, means hard times ahead for the Middle East."
Trample the wounded- hurdle the dead.
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