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 ground-attack weapons that are integrated with sensors, navigation, and fire-control systems. Unlike other modern military fixed-wing aircraft, the AC-130 relies on visual targeting.

The AC-130U employs synthetic aperture strike radar for long-range and adverse weather target detection and identification. The AC-130's navigational devices include inertial navigation systems and global positioning systems.

AC-130s suppressed enemy air defense systems and attacked ground forces during Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada. This enabled the successful assault of Point Saline’s airfield via airdrop and air land of friendly forces.

The AC-130J is the fifth-generation gunship that replaced the fleet of AC-130U/W gunships. AC-130 gunships have an extensive combat history dating back to Vietnam where gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited …

AC-130 Spectre / Spooky II Gunship. The Lockheed AC-130 is a C-130 cargo plane converted into a gunship. The port side of the AC-130 houses firing ports for an array of cannons, howitzers and gatling guns. AC-130 - Role. The AC-130 is flown by USAF Special Operations, mostly in the close air support role. Other roles include air interdiction ...

The AC-130 is armed with a fearsome array of weaponry, including a 105 mm cannon and 25 or 40 mm gatling guns. The AC-130U employs a synthetic aperture strike radar for long-range and adverse...

Oct 9, 2020 · Since its debut during the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force’s AC-130 gunship has played an integral role in close air support, air interdiction and force protection provided to U.S. ground troops.

Oct 22, 2020 · The AC-130W was converted from the MC-130W Dragon Spear, a special operations mobility aircraft and are armed with precision strike packages to relieve the high operational demands on AC-130U gunships until new AC-130Js enter combat-ready status.

The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed ground-attack aircraft variant of the C-130 Hercules transport plane. The basic airframe is manufactured by Lockheed, while Boeing is responsible for...

Feb 26, 2025 · Learn how you can access the market intelligence and data you need to stay abreast of what's happening in the aerospace and defense community. The service in mid-January announced it had received...