Air Force Special Operations Command is looking forward to acquiring exotic weapons, Lt. Gen. Michael Wooley told defense reporters in Washington yesterday. He estimates that the next-generation gunship will not be equipped with big guns. “It would have directed energy lasers [and] lethal and non-lethal capabilities,” he said, adding that he’s pushing for it to be able to fly regardless of the weather and be capable of round-the-clock flight. “I want to go for a technological leap,” he explained, adding that the next-generation gunship may be more like a long-range strike aircraft or a bomber.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
