Good rule of thumb for MANPADS (in terms of range) is 2.5-3.0 NM, even for the newer systems like Stinger and the Russian SA-16/18 series. Max altitude is about 15K for the first-generation models and up to 20K (under ideal conditions).
As other posters have pointed out, the AC-130 is designed to operate in a MANPAD environment. The gunship is outfitted with the latest flares/IR jammers and dispenser programs that can deal with virutally any MANPAD in existence. And of course, Spectre’s on-board armament is a powerful deterrent to anyone who decides to take a pot-shot.
As a result, we haven’t lost an AC-130 in combat since the Battle of Khafji during the First Gulf War. That particular aircraft (callsign Spirit 03) was downed by an Iraqi MANPAD. However, the shootdown occurred during daylight hours (when gunships normally don’t operate). The aircraft commander decided to remain on-scene despite the dangers of operating during daylight hours—and the fact that two other AC-130s had already left the area.
The presence of MANPADs should not have been enough to prevent an AC-130 from being scrambled to Benghazi, or engaging targets on the ground. That decision was purely political, and had nothing to do with the “vulnerability” of the AC-130.
One more note: the USAF operated all types of C-130s over Bosnia during the 1990s, despite the potential threat from Serbian SA-6s, the mobile, radar-guided SAM that was responsible for the downing of Scott O’Grady’s F-16. I know, because I was a crew member on one of those platforms. In fact, one AC-130 was “locked up” one night by an SA-6 target tracking radar. The gunship’s jamming pods (along with maneuvering) broke lock, and there was never confirmation of a missile launch.
However, the AC “over-G’ed” the aircraft during the defensive maneuvering, and that particular AC-130 sat on the ramp at San Vito for months while Lockheed re-winged the gunship.
Is there a place to find the facts that we know for sure on Benghazi?
I keep forgetting a lot of this was going on in the middle of the night in Benghazi.
Have you seen a map of the area in question? Retired General Keane has been trying to claim that they were afraid to do anything because the complex is in a residential area. But since Woods was giving coordinates they could have done a precision strike, couldn’t they have?