AC-130 Gunship

[cflord]

Inside view of the AC-130 gunship firing her guns!

http://www.chonday.com/Videos/acinsbrut4

Here you have several versions of the US AC-130: The AC-130U Spooky, and the AC-130W Stinger II, while in action during live fire exercise as part of the Emerald Warrior 2016 annual exercise in Hurlburt Field, Florida. The equipment used here: the GAU-12 Equalizer 25mm (for the AC-130U) cannons, 30 mm Bushmaster cannons (for the W version), Bofors 40 mm auto cannons, and 105mm M102 cannon. The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of anti-ground oriented weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, navigation, and fire-control systems. Unlike other military fixed-wing aircraft, the AC-130 relies on visual targeting. Because its large profile and low operating altitudes (around 7,000 ft.) make it an easy target, it usually flies close air support missions at night.

Keep the shiny side up and the dirty side down!

Ret SMSgt Cliff Lord - C-130 Flight Engineer & Mechanic

[Ian Warren]

You gotta love it ... If your on the receiving end I guess it would serve you right ... what ever happened to 'No Smoking on the aircraft'

[dvm]

As far as no smoking goes when I was in the service the pilots would often smoke after a mission over Nam on their way back to the boat. Breaking Navy rules pales in comparison to being shot at. You have to remember to tun off the oxygen of course even the body oil on you face will burn in pure oxygen. Don't you think that would hurt.

[Ian Warren]

Arr the sweet whiff of cordite and gunpowder in the air

[dvm]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPXVGQnJm0w[/youtube]

A sick puppy for sure!

[batt]

When I was in the Army back in the early 80's, the Vietnam Vets in my unit (senior NCO's and Warrant Officers) would sometimes reminisce fondly of "Puff the Magic Dragon", which was a moniker originally assigned to the AC-47 but kind of got transferred upon the AC-119 and AC-130's by many ground troops when they showed up in later days of the war. I remember one CW-4 told a story of a relentless mortaring they were getting one night at his helicopter base near Pleiku; until finally Puff came in, breathed his fire and put a stop to it.

Spectre, Spooky, Shadow, or Stinger: To a soldier stuck out in the middle of nowhere at some isolated fire-base; there were few sounds more re-assuring to that man than the dragon's drone, as it orbited above in the inky night sky.