Lockheed AC-130A Spectre "Azrael, the Angel of Death"
The success of the AC-47 Spooky COIN aircraft in Vietnam led to consideration given to an upgraded version in a larger, newer aircraft—the AC-47s already approaching 30 years old during the war. The C-130 was the natural choice, and in 1967 a JC-130A testbed was modified as a gunship. It was initially given the callsign Super Spooky, but later changed to Spectre. After successful operational trials over both South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos, several more C-130As and C-130Es were modified to Project Spectre standard, mounting four GAU-2/A 7.62mm Minigun gatling cannons and four M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannons. A few were in turn modified by removing two of the Vulcans in favor of two Bofors 40mm cannon for use against armored targets under Project Surprise Package.
Besides their heavy weaponry, the AC-130s also had a comphrensive electronics suite, consisting of night vision equipment, FLIR, improved avionics and navigation equipment, and a digital fire-control system. In addition, AC-130s also carried a modified MAD sensor called Black Crow, which allowed the gunships to detect spark plugs used by North Vietnamese trucks. Following the end of the Vietnam War, the USAF retired all other gunship designs but kept the AC-130 in service, standardizing them as the AC-130H with two Vulcans, a single Bofors, and a M102 105mm howitzer, as the gatlings and the 40mm cannon had proven inadequate against hardened targets (such as tanks) or area attacks.
This proved to be a prescient choice, as AC-130s have seen service in every war fought by the United States since Vietnam: Grenada, Panama, both Gulf Wars, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Libya. During the Panama operation, Spectre crews successfully decapitated Panamanian Defense Force leadership by destroying the PDF’s headquarters, while they were instrumental in stopping an Iraqi armored column during the Battle of Khafji. In Afghanistan in 2001, AC-130s were the first USAF aircraft to see action, and proved so devastating in their first combat, the Battle of Konduz, that the city fell the next day to Northern Alliance forces without a shot.
The Spectre has been continually improved, and current USAF units use AC-130H/U variants. The AC-130U deletes the two Vulcans in favor of a single trainable GAU-12/A Equalizer 25mm gatling cannon, and has a much more advanced sensor suite over the H model. The “U-Boats” use an APQ-180 synthetic aperature radar and GPS-guided fire control, and can attack two targets simutaneously with twice the ammunition storage of the AC-130H.
The effect of the AC-130 in any form is devastating; no camp or unit defended by Spectres has ever been overrun by an enemy force. The guns of a Spectre can place a bullet on every square foot of a football field every second until the ammunition runs out. The only real weakness of the AC-130 is its vulnerability to ground fire, though most threats to the Spectre from light antiaircraft fire are usually eliminated quickly, while heavier flak can be defeated by escorts. Spectres carry a range of powerful ECM and countermeasures against SAMs, but aside from shoulder-fired SAMs, AC-130s rarely operate in such a high-threat environment and never in areas where enemy fighters could intercept them. Currently, the USAF has a single wing of AC-130s, with AC-130Hs being slated for retirement soon, while the AC-130U will serve for some years to come.
54-1630 was one of the first batch of AC-130As, converted from early C-130A transports. It was also one of the first to receive the "Surprise Package" upgrade, which deleted two of the 7.62mm Minigun gatling guns in favor of twin 40mm Bofors autocannons. Named "Death from Above," it served in the closing months of American involvement in the Vietnam War.
By the 1980s, 54-1630, as an early AC-130A, was relegated to the 919th Special Operations Wing, a USAF Reserve unit attached to the 1st Special Operations Wing at Duke Field, Florida. The need for AC-130s led the 919th SOW to be called up and deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Storm, and 54-1630 was renamed "Azrael, the Angel of Death": Azrael, according to Islamic tradition, is the angel that appears at the moment of death to take the soul from the body. On 26 February 1991, "Azrael" was sent in to engage fleeing elements of the Iraqi Army north of Kuwait City. Despite heavy opposition from ground based antiaircraft guns and surface-to-air missile sites, "Azrael" inflicted heavy damage on the Iraqis--many of the vehicles seen destroyed in the famous "Highway of Death" were the work of 54-1630. When the AC-130As were finally retired in 1995, "Azrael" was saved for preservation and placed on display at the National Museum of the USAF.
Today, 54-1630/"Azrael" sits in the Cold War gallery of the NMUSAF, still in the slightly battered overall gunship gray scheme worn during Desert Storm. Six camel mission marks are carried in front of the crew door, with the 919th's crest behind it. The sinister Spectre marking above the mission marks is common on all AC-130s. Though an AC-130A, this aircraft was upgraded on conversion and carries the four-bladed propellers of later C-130 marks.
Lockheed AC-130A Spectre "Azrael, the Angel of Death"
The success of the AC-47 Spooky COIN aircraft in Vietnam led to consideration given to an upgraded version in a larger, newer aircraft—the AC-47s already approaching 30 years old during the war. The C-130 was the natural choice, and in 1967 a JC-130A testbed was modified as a gunship. It was initially given the callsign Super Spooky, but later changed to Spectre. After successful operational trials over both South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos, several more C-130As and C-130Es were modified to Project Spectre standard, mounting four GAU-2/A 7.62mm Minigun gatling cannons and four M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannons. A few were in turn modified by removing two of the Vulcans in favor of two Bofors 40mm cannon for use against armored targets under Project Surprise Package.
Besides their heavy weaponry, the AC-130s also had a comphrensive electronics suite, consisting of night vision equipment, FLIR, improved avionics and navigation equipment, and a digital fire-control system. In addition, AC-130s also carried a modified MAD sensor called Black Crow, which allowed the gunships to detect spark plugs used by North Vietnamese trucks. Following the end of the Vietnam War, the USAF retired all other gunship designs but kept the AC-130 in service, standardizing them as the AC-130H with two Vulcans, a single Bofors, and a M102 105mm howitzer, as the gatlings and the 40mm cannon had proven inadequate against hardened targets (such as tanks) or area attacks.
This proved to be a prescient choice, as AC-130s have seen service in every war fought by the United States since Vietnam: Grenada, Panama, both Gulf Wars, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Libya. During the Panama operation, Spectre crews successfully decapitated Panamanian Defense Force leadership by destroying the PDF’s headquarters, while they were instrumental in stopping an Iraqi armored column during the Battle of Khafji. In Afghanistan in 2001, AC-130s were the first USAF aircraft to see action, and proved so devastating in their first combat, the Battle of Konduz, that the city fell the next day to Northern Alliance forces without a shot.
The Spectre has been continually improved, and current USAF units use AC-130H/U variants. The AC-130U deletes the two Vulcans in favor of a single trainable GAU-12/A Equalizer 25mm gatling cannon, and has a much more advanced sensor suite over the H model. The “U-Boats” use an APQ-180 synthetic aperature radar and GPS-guided fire control, and can attack two targets simutaneously with twice the ammunition storage of the AC-130H.
The effect of the AC-130 in any form is devastating; no camp or unit defended by Spectres has ever been overrun by an enemy force. The guns of a Spectre can place a bullet on every square foot of a football field every second until the ammunition runs out. The only real weakness of the AC-130 is its vulnerability to ground fire, though most threats to the Spectre from light antiaircraft fire are usually eliminated quickly, while heavier flak can be defeated by escorts. Spectres carry a range of powerful ECM and countermeasures against SAMs, but aside from shoulder-fired SAMs, AC-130s rarely operate in such a high-threat environment and never in areas where enemy fighters could intercept them. Currently, the USAF has a single wing of AC-130s, with AC-130Hs being slated for retirement soon, while the AC-130U will serve for some years to come.
54-1630 was one of the first batch of AC-130As, converted from early C-130A transports. It was also one of the first to receive the "Surprise Package" upgrade, which deleted two of the 7.62mm Minigun gatling guns in favor of twin 40mm Bofors autocannons. Named "Death from Above," it served in the closing months of American involvement in the Vietnam War.
By the 1980s, 54-1630, as an early AC-130A, was relegated to the 919th Special Operations Wing, a USAF Reserve unit attached to the 1st Special Operations Wing at Duke Field, Florida. The need for AC-130s led the 919th SOW to be called up and deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Storm, and 54-1630 was renamed "Azrael, the Angel of Death": Azrael, according to Islamic tradition, is the angel that appears at the moment of death to take the soul from the body. On 26 February 1991, "Azrael" was sent in to engage fleeing elements of the Iraqi Army north of Kuwait City. Despite heavy opposition from ground based antiaircraft guns and surface-to-air missile sites, "Azrael" inflicted heavy damage on the Iraqis--many of the vehicles seen destroyed in the famous "Highway of Death" were the work of 54-1630. When the AC-130As were finally retired in 1995, "Azrael" was saved for preservation and placed on display at the National Museum of the USAF.
Today, 54-1630/"Azrael" sits in the Cold War gallery of the NMUSAF, still in the slightly battered overall gunship gray scheme worn during Desert Storm. Six camel mission marks are carried in front of the crew door, with the 919th's crest behind it. The sinister Spectre marking above the mission marks is common on all AC-130s. Though an AC-130A, this aircraft was upgraded on conversion and carries the four-bladed propellers of later C-130 marks.