The ac spectre hightech military weapons fitzpatrick, kevin j. Aboard the ac spectre gunship, he flew a total of 287 combat missions over laos, south vietnam, and cambodia, in pursuit of the truck traffic coming down the ho chi minh trail. The ach spectre gunships were fielded in 1972 and retired in 2015. By january 2016, the flying branch still had nearly 30 of the older acus and acws. It is a variation of the c hercules transport plane. It also has twice the munitions capacity of the ach.
As the ach chapter of gunship evolution comes to a close, the ach is the single deadliest aircraft and flying squadron in the war on terrorism. On march 14, 1994, an ach spectre gunship from the 16th special operations squadron crashlanded 200 yards off the kenyan coast, near the town of malindi. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. What it was really like to fly combat helicopters in vietnam kindle edition by garrison, mark. All gunships evolved from the first operational gunship, the ac47. Other missions include perimeter and point defense, escort, landing, drop and extraction zone support, forward air control, limited command and control, and combat search and rescue. The story of spooky, shadow, stinger and spectre mutza, wayne on. What it was really like to fly combat helicopters in vietnam. The lockheed ac is a c cargo plane converted into a gunship. Gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many lifesaving close air. Spectre had its beginning when operational testing of a c as a gunship was conducted at eglin afb fl from june through september of 1967. The acus call sign is spooky, and traces its history to the first operational gunship, the ac47. Oct 29, 2015 what follows is an absolutely thorough working of the taliban forces by the gunships armament.
Since the advent of the airplane as an instrument of war, warplanners have relied on the power of mobile aerial attacks to keep an enemy on its toes. Unlike other modern military fixedwing aircraft, the ac relies on visual targeting. Continuing the distinguished combat history of sidefiring ac gunships, the new acu spectre gunship is being fielded as a replacement for the aca aircraft and to supplement the ach gunship fleet. Ach spectre acu spooky shared with ac47 acj ghostrider acw stinger ii unofficially. Aboard the ac spectre gunship, he flew a total of 287 combat missions over. The newest version, the acu spectre gunship, replaced the original aca and represented a major advancement. Ac gunships have an extensive combat history dating to back to vietnam where gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many lifesaving, close air support missions. On 5 january, the gunship assisted us marines with their entry into the embassy compound and remained at an orbit point east of the city.
The lockheed ac spectre is a tactical support version of the c hercules. The lockheed ac gunship is a heavily armed, longendurance, ground attack variant of the c hercules transport, fixedwing aircraft. The gunship strikes with such force that it actually chops down a tree under which an insurgent is hiding. This gave the gunship a much greater firing range and allowed it to fire from a higher altitude.
The acj is the fourth generation gunship replacing the aging fleet of acuw gunships. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. These gunships were configured to circle the target instead of performing strafing runs. The port side of the ac houses firing ports for an array of cannons, howitzers and gatling guns. The ac gunship and the vietnam war warfare history. For the ac to perform its mission, it needs the air force to achieve air dominance or air superiority. The first night mission was flown on the night of december 23, over an outpost under attack near thanh yend. Andrew koegl, 16th sos commander, shared his sentiments with team cannon. Meet the air forces ultimate battle plane and your new. The video includes handling of the gunships unique weapon systems, some. Independent art hand stretched around super sturdy wood frames. Click on persons name for link to that persons photo page if then and now photos have larger format pictures, clicking on the photos will reveal them. The douglas ac47 spooky was the first notable modern gunship. It is powerful enough to provide close air support to ground troops and also against insurgents.
Gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Air force video offers a rare glimpse inside an ac spooky ii gunship during a livefire exercise over florida. The versatile airframe has found uses in a variety of other roles, including as a gunship. The complete story of ac h spectre gunship operation urgent fury kindle edition by couvillon, michael. Its mission is to support conventional and joint special operations forces any time, any place. Jockey 14 was operating in support of ongoing operations in and around mogadishu, somalia at the time of the accident. It helped that my father was a navigator on a ch gunship with 115 combat missions over laos. The acw stinger ii, previously known as the mcw dragon spear, is a gunship that is created by applying a rollon, rolloff precision strike package to existing mcw combat spear aircraft. Military machines library library binding august 1, 2010 by carlos alvarez author visit amazons carlos alvarez page. All gunships evolved from the first operational gunship, the ac47, to the ac119, and then the aca which was the basis for the modern c gunship. All gunships evolutionized from the first operational gunship, the ac47.
Post war restriction on iraq required the presence of ac. The acus will soldier on while acjs will replace older ac h models. In 1987, north american rockwell began to modify the c hercules airframe, manufactured by the lockheed martin aeronautics company, for the ac gunship. Gun camera footage from an ach spectre gunship flying a combat mission over afghanistan, and striking insurgents in a wooded area. Ac h spectre acu spooky shared with ac47 acj ghostrider acw stinger ii unofficially. Burns, an aerial gunner assigned to the deadliest squadron in air force history.
It was so cool to read this book and walk in daves flight boots during the. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the c was originally designed as a troop, medevac, and cargo transport aircraft. History juvenile nonfiction this title explores the development and use of the ac hu gunship.
The primary purpose of the ac gunship is to provide close air support and armed reconnaissance. The primary missions of the united states air forces ach spectre and acu spooky gunships are close air support, air interdiction, and force protection. Ac absolutely did fire in marjah battle against taliban. By 30 october 1968, enough ac gunship iis arrived to form a squadron. On 3 january 1991, one ach and crew deployed to an east african country to start planning for the noncombatant evacuation operations of an american embassy. A gunship is a military aircraft armed with heavy guns, primarily intended for attacking ground targets in modern usage the term gunship refers to fixedwing aircraft having laterallymounted heavy armaments i. In may 2015, the air force finally retired the last ac h during a ceremony at cannon air force base in new mexico. The ac gunship first arrived in south vietnam on 21 september 1967 under the gunship ii program, and began combat operations over laos and south vietnam that year. Feb 11, 2017 ac gunship the ac h spectre and the acu spooky primary missions are close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance. Jan 20, 2016 the spooky is the third generation of c gunships. In february 1972, the first ace spectre was outfitted with a 105mm howitzer in place of one of the 40mm bofors cannon. The ac is flown by usaf special operations, mostly in the close air support role.
Dec 26, 2017 it is powerful enough to provide close air support to ground troops and also against insurgents. To help celebrate the illustrious accomplishments of the decorated aircraft, lt. An ach gunship jettisons flares as an infrared countermeasure during a training exercise on aug. This book features a wealth of outstanding color photographs, many of which. How the ac destroyed at least 20 vehicles per night. The lockheed ac gunship is a heavily armed ground attack aircraft currently in service with the united states air force. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive collection ever assembled. Readers will follow the history of the aircraft and learn about its military and performance specifications, as well as its advantages in the field. The accepted callsign for the ach series is the threatening spectre while the acu series enjoys the mysterious spooky callsign.
The acus will soldier on while acjs will replace older ach models. Feb 11, 2017 ac gunship the ach spectre and the acu spooky primary missions are close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance. The ach spectre gunships primary missions are close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance. The ac gunship has a combat history dating to vietnam. Sep 24, 2019 the lockheed ac is a specialmission gunship variant of the storied c hercules highwing transport. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading guts n gunships. Lockheed ac spectre a warbirds resource group site. Ac spectre gunship annihilates entire taliban unit. Eight of the 14 crewmen aboard were killed in the crash.
Turn your home, office, or studio into an art gallery, minus the snooty factor. The gunship scored its first verified enemy kills on december 21, 1964, with 21 vc dead. It resulted in the loss of all 14 crewmembers, the largest single air power loss of the war. Mar 03, 2017 i also love cs as one of my top five favorite aircraft. In may 2015, the air force finally retired the last ach during a ceremony at cannon air force base in new mexico. What follows is an absolutely thorough working of the taliban forces by the gunships armament. The lockheed c hercules is an american fourengine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by lockheed now lockheed martin. Two months later, the service received the first of the newest gunship variant, the acj. Puff the magic dragon shared with the ac47 positive. Click download or read online button to get lockheed c hercules book now.
Page was created on 80915 and work will progress as time permits. Southeast asia which is being published by the office of air force history. The aircraft is heavily armed with sidefiring weapons that use sensor, navigation and fire. Continuing the distinguished combat history of sidefiring ac gunships, the new acu spectre gunship is being fielded as a replacement for the aca aircraft. The resulting acw stinger iis are operated by the air force 73rd special operations squadron out of cannon air force base, new mexico. Oct 10, 2017 the acj ghostrider the latest in the air forces line of heavilyarmed gunships marked a major developmental milestone sept. The bird saw its first combat when a ca task force was deployed to nha trang, republic of vietnam, on 20 september 1967. In 1964, during the vietnam war, the popular douglas c47 skytrain transport was successfully modified into a gunship by the united states air force with three sidefiring miniguns for circling attacks. The lockheed ac gunship is a heavily armed, longendurance, groundattack variant of the c hercules transport, fixedwing aircraft. Gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many life. Oct 25, 2016 the acj ghostrider is the fourth generation gunship set to replace the special operations fleet of ac h uw gunships at hurlburt field, fla. The acu spooky and acw stinger ii variants are used to support ground troops, escort convoys, and in towns and cities. A 4th special operations squadron sensor operator performs preflight checks before takeoff on an acu gunship at hurlburt field, fla. Ballards work is one of a series of books dealing with the war in.
At the time the aircraft was known as a dragonship, puff, the magic dragon. Lockheed c hercules download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl. Most gunship activity in 1972 countered assaults by communist forces on firesupport bases and provided fire support for troops. Gunship definition is a helicopter or cargo aircraft armed with rockets and machine guns. The air forces newest, deadliest gunship just hit a major. The ac gunship is an armed variant of the c hercules. The acj ghostrider is the fourth generation gunship set to replace the special operations fleet of achuw gunships at hurlburt field, fla. The ac h spectre gunships were fielded in 1972 and retired in 2015. On march 14, 1994, an ac h spectre gunship from the 16th special operations squadron crashlanded 200 yards off the kenyan coast, near the town of malindi. High quality ac gunship inspired canvas prints by independent artists and designers from around the world.
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