Armed drones, 'sleeper' weapons may be in U.S. Air Force's futu

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Swarms of armed drones launch from a mother ship. An unmanned aircraft fires laser guns guided by radar that can see through rain, sleet, snow and foliage.

A "sleeper" weapon lands deep in enemy territory and waits until a threat emerges before taking off again to strike quickly from close range.

Air Force researchers will spend the next year examining these futuristic weapons and more as a move to improve and eventually replace the venerable but vulnerable AC-130 Spectre gunship.

The Vietnam-era plane is used primarily to support ground troops, but Air Force officials see the potential for these futuristic weapons also taking on missions performed by bombers and strike aircraft.

"They're probably not ready for prime time today, but the concepts exist in the laboratory world," said Steve Butler, director of engineering for the Air Armament Center, which develops "smart" weapons at this Florida Panhandle base.

Task Force Warlord, a name inspired by the war in Afghanistan, includes a wide cross-section of the Air Force. It will examine aircraft, weapons, data links and sensors, rather than focusing on just one type of technology, said Butler, who is coordinating the study.

"I find that encouraging," said Christopher Hellman, a senior analyst at the Center for Defense Information, an independent research organization in Washington. "It's a very reasoned approach."

Urgency questioned

Michael O'Hanlon, a senior analyst with The Brookings Institution, agrees upgrading the AC-130 is a good idea, but he is skeptical about replacing it because of the cost. He said the Spectre already has outlived predictions -- his own included -- that it would be obsolete by now.

"I'm not sure that this program needs to have any urgency about it," O'Hanlon said.

Lt. Gen. Paul Hester, leader of the Air Force Special Operations Command, which flies the gunships, acknowledged an immediate replacement is not needed but said the study is needed because fielding a new weapon takes many years.

The AC-130 is an armed version of the C-130 Hercules, a four-engine, turboprop transport dating to the 1950s. Each has a 105 mm howitzer and fast-firing 40 mm or 25 mm guns. Gunships fly about 300 mph compared to a maximum of 1,500 mph for an F-16 Fighting Falcon strike fighter.

The Spectre's bulk and its need to fly low and slow make it so vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire that it usually flies only at night. A shoulder-launched missile downed a gunship from nearby Hurlburt Field shortly after dawn during the Persian Gulf War, killing all 14 crew members.

Gen. John Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, created Task Force Warlord last year after getting a preview of the possibilities via live video beamed to the Pentagon from Predator surveillance drones in Afghanistan, Butler said.

Concepts proposed for the next three years include better computers and sensors, and plastic or ceramic parts to reduce weight.

Among ideas for 2005 through 2010 are gun shells guided by satellites or other means, advanced data links and UAV control from the gunships.