Just when you thought the AC-130U couldn’t get any nastier, here comes somebody ready to install a standoff weapon. The Air Force wants to give the gunship a so-called “Viper Strike” precision munition to go along with its 25 mm gun. The project is underway as an advanced concept technology demonstration. The Viper is a small weapon with glide fins and a high explosive tank-killing warhead, ideal for destroying mobile targets at standoff range. The capability will enhance the close air support capability of the gunship, which has been used widely—with grisly success—in Afghanistan and Iraq. Northrop Grumman is carrying out the work at its Huntsville, Ala. Facility. Look for a demonstration by end of 2006.
A year after Typhoon Mawar hit Guam, the Air Force estimates it will need nearly $9.7 billion to rebuild and improve its facilities on the island. The number is close to double the $4.39 billion spent to date rebuilding Tyndall and Offutt Air Force Bases in Florida and Nebraska after…