Gunships were also used during operations Continue Hope and United Shield in Somalia, providing close air support for United Nations ground forces.
Aircrews earned the Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of the year and the Tunner Award for their efforts.ĭuring Operation Desert Storm, AC-130s provided close air support and force protection (air base defense) for ground forces. Tunner Award for the mission.ĪC-130s also had a primary role during Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989 when they destroyed Panamanian Defense Force Headquarters and numerous command and control facilities. During Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada in 1983, AC-130s suppressed enemy air defense systems and attacked ground forces enabling the successful assault of the Point Salines Airfield via airdrop and air land of friendly forces. Gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many life-saving close air support missions. The AC-130 gunship has a combat history dating to Vietnam. The last AC-130U was flown to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, June 26, 2020, for retirement. The AC-130H “Spectre” gunships were fielded in 1972 and retired in 2015. All gunships evolved from the first operational gunship, the AC-47, to the AC-119, and then the AC-130A which was the basis for the modern C-130 Hercules gunship. The Spooky is the third generation of C-130 gunships. The AC-130U’s capability to track and engage two targets simultaneously with different levels of ordnance is an invaluable asset to special operations forces on the ground. The AC-130's navigational devices include inertial navigation systems and global positioning systems. The AC-130U employs synthetic aperture strike radar for long-range and adverse weather target detection and identification. These sensors allow the gunship to visually or electronically identify friendly ground forces and targets anytime, anywhere. The sensor suite consists of multispectral television sensors, high definition infrared sensors and radar. These heavily armed aircraft incorporate side-firing weapons integrated with sophisticated sensor, navigation and fire control systems to provide surgical firepower or area saturation during extended loiter periods, day or night and in adverse weather.
Air interdiction missions are conducted against preplanned targets or targets of opportunity and include strike coordination, reconnaissance and armed overwatch mission sets. Close air support missions include troops in contact, convoy escort and point air defense. The AC-130U “Spooky” gunships’ primary missions are close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance.
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