Lockheed AC-130 Gunship
This AC-130 well-armed assault airplane had its base manufactured by Lockhead, Boeing had the responsibility of transforming it to a gunship and its use for aircraft assisting. Like all weapons, Aircrafts, and Ground vehicles it to has a few variants.
The AC-130 Gunship has a few variants, the main being transport plane called C-130 Hercules. The AC-47 Gunship was superseded by the AC-130 gunship II in the Vietnam War. There is only one main user for the AC-130 gunships: the US Air Force, they use the AC-130U Spooky and the AC-130H Spectre, powered from three or four turboprops, it houses armaments ranging from 20mm Gatling Gun to 105mm howitzers. It can hold up to 12 - 13 personnel, including officers, and enrolled personnel.
Lockheed AC-130 Gunship
Lockheed AC-130 Deploying Flares
Side-View of AC-130 Gunship
The AC-130 gunships are mainly used by the US Air Forces for mission that include air support or force protection. The roles of the AC-130 for air support are assisting ground troops, protecting convoys through lethal scenario’s, and urban operations. The air interdiction are missions that involve destruction of designated targets and targets of opportunity. The defence of military facilities, be them air bases or infantry bases are called force protection missions.
The AC-47 Gunship I was replaced when the Vietnam War began, with C-130 Hercules for 3 main reasons:
- Ability for larger carrying loads.
- Ability to house heavier weapons.
- Better endurance.
AC-130 Weapon Technology
The weapon technology that the AC-130 incorporates is able to fire from the sides, and has complex sensors, navigation and state of the art fire control systems with precision firepower. The AC-130 has the ability to stay in the air for long periods of time over its target and at night in most weather conditions. There are three types of sensors on the AC-130 and they are television, infrared, and radar.
With these sensors the gunship can electronically and visually identify any friendly ground units in nearly all weathers. The AN/APQ-180 is the radar used for target detection and for identification at large ranges. With other technologies like the ability to attack more than one target at a time, the AC-130 is versatile machine.
As with most aircrafts and gunships there are options for extra equipment. The AC-130 is no exception as it can have the ability to equip a device called the Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD), which can pick up movement in the magnetic field of the earth, these are normally used to find submerged submarines. The C-130 MAD array would be able to spot enemy trucks from their ignition coil, even when they are hiding under dense foliage, this would then alert the crew to their presence.
Mission Success Figures
During the Vietnam conflict gunships had destroyed over 9,500 trucks and helped in crucial close air support missions. During the Invasion of Grenada the AC-130 helped suppress enemy air defence systems and engaged ground forces. This enabled the successful taking of Point Salines Airfield via airdrops and air landing of friendly troops.
AC-130 Deployment Record
The first AC-130 Gunship was deployed in Vietnam for missions in Laos and the south of Vietnam on the 21 September 1967. Once there was enough AC-130 Gunship IIs they where able to form a squadron, which was called the 16th Special Operations Squadron (SOS).
Out of the seven AC-130A's deployed the first was 53-3129, which was named-First Lady, this title was given around November 1970. During a combat situation in march 25th 1971 it was hit by a AAA 37mm shell in the nose, this was over Ho Chi Minh Trail, in Laos, everything below the crew deck was destroyed.
It was transferred to the Air Forces Reserve in 1975 after the US involvement in Indochina. It was put into service with the 711th Special Operations Squadron from the 19th Special Operations Wing.
Due to the large amount of engine noise the AC-130 was upgraded with the original four-bladed propellers due to there quieter properties. The AC-130A was retired in 1995.
The current gunships in operation are the 132.4 Million US Dollars for the AC-130H and the AC-130U which cost around 190 million US Dollars. At present there are just eight AC-130H and thirteen AC-130U gunships in service.
