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| Low, Slow & Deadly Behold the AC-130 gunship. By Charles E. Miller, retired Air Force colonel. |
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 he A (for Attack) C-130 gunship is low, slow, and ever so deadly. You use them when you own the sky. They carry a 25-mm Gatling Gun capable of firing 1,800 rounds per minute, as well as 40-mm and 105-mm cannons — all side-firing. Out of a crew of 13, there are five gunners on board. The aircraft carry sensors (infrared, low-light TV, and radar) that allow them to find, fix, track, target, and kill at night — and in "all weather." No building, garrison, armored vehicle, or artillery site can survive an attack from one of these aircraft. Two AC-130s are now flying missions, reportedly out of Oman, on a daily (nightly) basis over Afghanistan. They only go about 300 miles per hour, but they have an un-refueled range of 1,300 miles. AC-130s are routinely used to support special forces on the ground, but the Defense Department reports that has not yet been the case. The aircraft have been used "on their own," attacking a variety of Taliban targets — the so-called fielded forces. It should not be long before we see some video of their work — there is a spectacular stream of fire when they open up, always followed by explosions.
The AC-130s soon may be supporting special-operations forces reported to be aboard the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier (that's the one we saw on TV leaving Japanese waters with no aircraft on board). Today, the Kitty Hawk is likely carrying a large contingent of special-forces soldiers, Navy SEALs, attack and transport helicopters, and supporting gear. It has also been reported that the U.S. has established two "engagement" zones in Afghanistan — one near Kabul and one near Kandahar (headquarters of the Taliban). In these kill zones, pilots can fire at emerging military targets under fairly flexible rules of engagement, but they likely are not free-fire zones. There are procedures for confirming targets ("Yes, that's a tank, not a bus."), for controlling the strikes ("Come from the north, turn to west, watch out for other aircraft to the east."), and for allocating resources, as when you have three aircraft and five targets. The establishment of kill boxes is another bad sign for the Taliban and the al Qaeda. It means that the U.S. will routinely sweep the landscape for targets, day and night. The U.S. is preparing to build a sophisticated reconnaissance-strike complex in the skies of Afghanistan that will allow it near-real-time strikes of targets within five minutes of identification. The system will include E-8 JSTARS aircraft with airborne radars for ground surveillance, RC-135 Rivet Joint electronic surveillance aircraft, U-2 manned reconnaissance, and other unmanned reconnaissance aircraft — all contributing to finding and identifying targets. Next, the targets will be turned over to F-15Es, F-117s, and attack helicopters for quick-strikes from established orbits. Press reports say that an Air Force general will be airborne in a command aircraft so as to command and control (direct and enable) these operations. This system, or one similar to it, can be set up and the kinks worked out, and the pilots can gain situational familiarity and confidence flying over Afghanistan, all the while attacking Taliban forces. Once the system is in place, it will be a pretty-well-oiled machine when fast reactions are needed against al Qaeda targets. All of this firepower for what? For destroying the Taliban military and isolating the al Qaeda from the Afghan peoples. Once that's achived, it will be time to dig them out. Recall the formula General Colin Powell used for the defeat of the Iraqis: first cut them off, then kill them. |
