That is one frkcin' mean lookin' plane!

[beer]

From: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011016/ts/attack_military_dc_26.html



<< Among weapons used against targets in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan overnight was at least one Air Force Special Forces AC-130 gunship. The slow four-engine turboprop aircraft strike ground targets with withering, accurate fire from 105mm cannon and rapid-fire machine guns. >>



AC-130 #1AC-130 #2

It's like an A10...only much more dangerous if you can't take it out

 

[C'DaleRider]

Puff the Magic Dragon updated.......the nickname of the original from Vietnam. Rotating cannon fired out the doors......the guns fired so fast that the tracer rounds looked like a solid beam of light from the plane to the ground. Was one of the most feared weapons in Vietnam.

Maybe we should bring back nalpalm............

 

[crab]

<< Puff the Magic Dragon updated.......the nickname of the original from Vietnam. Rotating cannon fired out the doors......the guns fired so fast that the tracer rounds looked like a solid beam of light from the plane to the ground. Was one of the most feared weapons in Vietnam.

Maybe we should bring back nalpalm............ >>



That light beam was wicked! Would ignite a 2x4 in a split second (up close at least)

Edit....i read that wrong, but they had this huge aimable light that would practically vaporize anything up close to it....gonna find pics

 

[bunker]

accurate fire from 105mm cannon

Damn! That's over 3 times the size of the cannon on the warthog!

 

[Tauren]

The pic in this fact sheet is bad-ass!

<<side-firing weapons>>

Damn!

 

[jjones]

yeah, they're doing some butt-kickin with that plane

 

[Windogg]

The AC-130 "Spectre" is a decendant of the AC-47 "Spooky" which has 3 x 7.62mm miniguns and the AC-119 "Shadow" and "Stinger" which has 4 x 7.62mm miniguns. Then someone decided to stick bigger guns in a bigger plane. The AC-130 originally had 4 x 7.62 and 2 x 20mm M61 Vulcans used by fighters. It was soon realized that 7.62 fired from the altitudes C-130s operated from were pretty much useless. The then stuck 2 x 40mm Bofer AA guns and the thing really began terrorizing the VC on the Ho Chi Minh trail. Then someone decided to take out one of the 40mms and put a 105mm light howitzer into the back. Soon that gun began taking out light armored vehicles. A good crew can have 3 shells in the air at once. The current version known as the AC-130U deleted the two 20mm Vulcans in favor of the 25mm cannon used on the AV-8 Harrier. This gun is trainable which means more accuracy. Moving the gun is easier than moving the plane.

Of course this plane can only be used in an area with total air superiority and a low AA threat. When SA7 first began apperaing in Vietnam, crews needed to improvise fast. Soon they had a crew member hanging out of the back ramp with a flare gun. While countermasures have improved, the AC-130 is still a lumbering target. During Desert Storm, two hung around Khafji too long. As the sun rose, they were sillouetted against the sky which made it a big target. A SAM shot down the plane with the loss of the entire crew. Another one had to maneuver so hard that the wing had to be replaced.

Overall, it's a great plane.

Windogg

 

[Tauren]

"Among the AC-130?s weapons are 105mm cannon and rapid-fire machine guns capable of firing 2,500 rounds a minute."

 

[Nefrodite]

whats all the stuff flying in a buncha directions from the plane in that picture? can't be gun fire...

 

[Tauren]

<< whats all the stuff flying in a buncha directions from the plane in that picture? can't be gun fire... >>




"or area saturation during extended loiter periods"

 

[Geforcekj]

ummm...how does a plane shoot a howitzer?

 

[Spiker]

In the picture you see flares to confuse heat seeking missles and radar operators on the ground. This plane is truly kicka@@, it can hit targets very accurately, but the A-10 is stil better!

 

[ShotgunSteven]

I love the Spectre. I asked Santa Claus for one for Christmas.

 

[Kanalua]

I got one in the garage....

could get better gas mileage...


Sure glad I'm not no Taliban idiot (is it too late to send Jesse Jackson?)

 

[TheOverlord]

<< ummm...how does a plane shoot a howitzer? >>


very carefully...

heh i flew one of those back in jane's usnf '97...man it was cool to have all those guns...i bet the howitzer really slews the plane a bit when it fires

 

[flashbacck]

I wanna be the gunner for a day!