Hot Steel on Target.............

How can this be? All the Afghanistan experts around here told us the Taliban had hundreds of stinger missles and they'd shoot our planes out of the sky.

Gee, could they have been wrong?

USAF Fact Sheet

AC-130H/U Gunship

Mission

The AC-130 gunship's primary missions are close air support, air interdiction and force protection. Missions in close air support are troops in contact, convoy escort and urban operations. Air interdiction missions are conducted against preplanned targets or targets of opportunity. Force protection missions include air base defense and facilities defense.

Features

These heavily armed aircraft incorporate side-firing weapons integrated with sophisticated sensor, navigation and fire control systems to provide surgical firepower or area saturation during extended loiter periods, at night and in adverse weather. The sensor suite consists of a television sensor, infrared sensor and radar. These sensors allow the gunship to visually or electronically identify friendly ground forces and targets any place, any time. The AC-130U employs synthetic apertures strike radar for long-range target detection and identification. The gunship's navigational devices include the inertial navigation systems and global positioning system. The AC-130U employs the latest technologies and can attack two targets simultaneously. It also has twice the munitions capacity of the AC-130H.

History

The AC-130H's call sign is "Spectre." The AC-130U's call sign is "Spooky," and traces its history to the first operational gunship, the AC-47. The U-model is the third generation of C-130 gunships.

The AC-130 gunship has a combat history dating to Vietnam. Gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many life-saving close air support missions. During Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada in 1983, AC-130s suppressed enemy air defense systems and attacked ground forces enabling the successful assault of the Point Salines Airfield via airdrop and air land of friendly forces. The AC-130 aircrew earned the Lt. Gen. William H. Tunner Award for the mission.

AC-130s also had a primary role during Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989 when they destroyed Panamanian Defense Force Headquarters and numerous command and control facilities. Aircrews earned the Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of the year and the Tunner Award for their efforts.

During Operation Desert Storm, AC-130s provided close air support and force protection (air base defense) for ground forces. Gunships were also used during operations Continue Hope and United Shield in Somalia, providing close air support for United Nations ground forces. More recently, gunships played a pivotal role in supporting the NATO mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The AC-130H provided air interdiction against key targets in the Sarajevo area.

In 1997, gunships were diverted from Italy to provide combat air support for U.S. and allied ground troops during the evacuation of American noncombatants in Albania. Gunships also were part of the buildup of U.S. forces in 1998 to convince Iraq to comply with U.N. weapons inspections.

General Characteristics

Primary Function: Close air support, air interdiction and force protection
Builder: Lockheed/Boeing Corp.
Power Plant: Four Allison T56-A-15 turboprop engines
Thrust: 4,910 shaft horsepower each engine
Length: 97 feet, 9 inches (29.8 meters)
Height: 38 feet, 6 inches (11.7 meters)
Wingspan: 132 feet, 7 inches (40.4 meters)
Speed: 300 mph (Mach .4) (at sea level)
Range: Approximately 1,300 nautical miles; unlimited with air refueling.
Ceiling: 25,000 feet (7,576 meters)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 155,000 pounds (69,750 kilograms)
Armament: AC-130H/U: 40mm cannon and 105mm cannon; AC-130U: 25mm gun
Crew: AC-130U - Five officers (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, fire control officer, electronic warfare officer) and eight enlisted (flight engineer, TV operator, infrared detection set operator, loadmaster, four aerial gunners)
Deployment Date: AC-130H, 1972; AC-130U, 1995
Unit Cost: AC-130H, $132.4 million; AC-130U, $190 million (fiscal 2001 constant dollars)
Inventory: Active duty: AC-130H, 8; AC-130U, 13; Reserve, 0; ANG, 0

Point of Contact

Air Force Special Operations Command, Public Affairs Office; 229 Cody Ave., Suite 103; Hurlburt Field, FL 32544-5312; DSN 579-5515 or (850) 884-5515.

August 2001

keywords: aircraft, gunship

See it here! http://www.af.mil/news/factsheets/AC_130H_U_Gunship.html

YAHOOOOO! Death from above.... Eat lead Bin Laden!

I have seen "puff the magic dragon" fire when I was in Vietman in the late 60's. That, my friend, is one fine weapon. They say if you nailed a cigarette pack anywhere on a football field, and "puff" flew over, it would have at least two holes in it. When they are firing, anything they fly over is dead. No doubt about it.

We only have 8 of these?

Why not 50! Hit 'em HARD!!!

Why not build a FLEET of those preditors (100++) that shoot those anti-tank weapons (no excuses for time delays for 'integration and testing') USING CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TECH!

Sure, I will take casualties if I have to...

BUT ONLY AS A LAST RESULT

That weapon is DEVASTATING!! I wonder what they were going after, whatever it was, there isn't much left of it!!

Why don't we grab Bin Laden's kid and step mom. Lock them up as material witness? Would irritate the hell out of him.

Sleep in the arms of the Dragon.....

Could this be the sound of "helicopters" we've been hearing about.

Why not 50! Hit 'em HARD!!!

8 is plenty. Many Taliban troops will be turned into hamburger meat. Thier own Mothers couldn't possibly ID them after they get hit by "puff".

Yee-Haw, Yahoo and Hoo Rah!

This aircraft is definitely f***ing up someone's day today!

I shiver just thinking about it. I which that I could be there to see it. To bad 52 is just a little to old. I would love to go to a war that we are fighting to win.

Are you sure '8 is enough'?

Looks like we only have one out there.

What do people on the board think of building 100+ attack preditors using current technology?

What would the CHINESE think of these?

Usually only one thing that they go after, TROOPS. They do contain a large Howitzer that is internally shock mounted, but that is not the primary mission. That Howitzer however might possibly be used on the cave entrances.

What would the CHINESE think of these?

They didn't like them much in Nam.

Could be. I suppose that cannon fire at that rate could sound like rotors!