Sight-unseen, USAF extends Boeing's C-130 laser cannon project

Boeing is still a few weeks a way from proving whether an experimental laser cannon mounted on an AC-130 gunship actually works, but it need not worry.

The US Air Force secured the advanced tactical laser's short-term future earlier this week by signing a $30 million check, paying Boeing to participate in a three-year extended user evaluation. For the last five years, Boeing has been working on proving that a C-130-mounted laser is technically feasible. The three-tear evaluation is aimed at determining if the concept will be operationally practical. The contract award adds:

The ATL EUE is an effort to operate and evaluate the single residual systems developed during the ATL Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). This system is a complex, highly-specialized and proprietary system that integrates a high-energy laser into an Air Force C-130 aircraft. The work required for the EUE contract includes the operation, maintenance, repair, and sustainment of the system over the duration of the effort (3 years).