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.
Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs and head of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, is pushing a “portfolio” approach to requirements and wants his position to have “more teeth” so he can enforce it.