AC-130 Gunships Provide "Critical" Support (May 17)
WASHINGTON -- As Air Force combat controllers in Afghanistan acted as the eyes on the ground for allied and coalition bombers and fighters, contributing to their success was the knowledge that they had the firepower of the AC-130 gunship at their beck and call.
"I hope the special tactics men on the ground in Afghanistan slept a little better knowing that the maintainers and aircrews that prepare and fly the gunship are out there to protect them," said Maj. Chris Schweinsberg, an AC-130 gunship pilot currently assigned as the chief of the operations and doctrine branch for the Air Force special operations division in the Pentagon.
"The gunship crew will do whatever they can to provide effective combat support so the special operators can conduct their missions," said Schweinsberg.
The AC-130 has a combat history dating back to Vietnam, where gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many life-saving close air support missions.
The gunship lineage includes the AC-47 "Spooky," AC-119G "Shadow," AC-119K "Stinger," and AC-130. The Air Force is currently on version three of the C-130-based gunship, starting with the AC-130A, then the AC-130H, both known as "Spectre," and the AC-130U, call sign "Spooky."
With the unveiling of each version came a more lethal, and more survivable, weapon system.
"Each of the gunships has continued an evolution, whether in weapons technology to increase lethality, or in survivability enhancements such as defensive countermeasures," Schweinsberg said. "The airframe received improved sensor technology to increase what you can see, connectivity to include being able to talk over-the-horizon on satellite or improved radios so you can talk to more ground components from the airplane."
Other improvements over the years included infrared countermeasures to alert the crew to threats and the ability to stay persistent over the battlefield, meaning long loiter time over a specific target to support ground or air forces.
In Afghanistan, another way the gunship's capabilities were enhanced was to link it with video from the RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, allowing Predator to do some of the scout work for the gunship.
"The evolution of the gunship continues today," Schweinsberg said. "We're looking at some transformational capabilities to create the next generation gunship. Whatever happens, it will always have that niche gunship capability, which is to deliver close air support -- precision firepower in close proximity to friendly forces while limiting collateral damage."
Schweinsberg said he is proud of the legend the gunship has throughout the special operations community.
"It's because of the past and present maintainers and aircrew that have enabled the aircraft to enjoy the folklore that it has established," he said. "It's a great airframe, and it takes the entire crew of 13 to successfully accomplish the mission. It's complicated, but it's a great weapon system to fly. It will continue to do good things."
