Boeing AC-737A Dragonnel
(The following is a fictional history of a semi-fictional aircraft. It is not to be taken seriously!)
In 1979, the Free Intelani Air Force came to the realization that the next war might be another counterinsurgency one, rather than the Third World War everyone dreaded in Central Europe. As many FIRAF pilots were former USAF veterans of Vietnam, it made sense for the service to acquire gunships of some kind. The USAF was reluctant to part with the technology of the AC-130 Spectre, and the FIRAF was not going to use obsolete AC-47 Spookys. Instead, the idea was to create a gunship using a preexisting aircraft, but not a propeller-driven aircraft--rather a jet one. This would give the gunship much faster speed to get to troops in contact, and if an airliner was used, the loiter time might be only slightly less than an AC-130.
In 1980, the FIRAF contacted Boeing on conversion of the widely-used 737-200 airliner to a gunship; as 737s were used worldwide, this would also make acquiring the aircraft cheaper and spare parts more plentiful. Boeing was surprised and somewhat reluctant, as the 737 was a low-wing airliner, seemingly unsuited for the gunship role. Despite the company's reservations, plans went forward, and the first AC-737A Dragonnel was rolled out in mid-1982.
The Dragonnel had all of the AC-130's electronics and then some, updated for the 1980s, and could if necessary act in the electronic intelligence (Elint) role as well. Armament consisted of four General Electric M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannons arrayed on the port side, two forward and two aft of the wing. A complete countermeasures suite was included, as well as a strengthened airframe and armored floors; Boeing's standard "gravel kit" for the 737 was included as standard, as AC-737s might have to operate from unimproved runways. Testing was satisfactory, and the FIRAF ordered 24 Dragonnels, with the first batch going to the 43rd Special Operations Squadron at Lassen IAFB, California.
In August 1984, the Third World War did break out, and the AC-737s were committed to the war effort--though not in Central Europe, where the ground and air threat was considered too great. Instead, they were committed to the Norwegian Front, where the Soviet threat was lesser. All the same, the problems soon began. While the AC-737 could respond faster than the AC-130, it had less armament and, as it lacked heavy weapons such as the 40mm Bofors or the 105mm howitzer of the AC-130H, it could only engage infantry and lightly armored vehicles. Worst of all was that firing the two forward 20mm risked the shells being sucked into the port engine, and the low-slung engines of the 737 were far more vulnerable to ground fire. Though no AC-737s were lost, several were heavily damaged and made it back home. A scandal erupted back home when it was revealed that Boeing had warned the FIRAF about the Dragonnel's issues, but these were ignored and hushed up.
With the AC-737 less than effective, the remaining aircraft were cancelled and, though the Dragonnels served until the end of the war in 1987, they were swiftly retired...in favor of the AC-130H, which the FIRAF finally got permission to modify on their own. Most of the AC-737s ended their days ignominiously as range targets, though four were reactivated in 1994 as C-737As. These were modified for use as Elint and psychological warfare aircraft, similar to the USAF's EC-130H Compass Call and Commando Solo aircraft, and operated by Intelani Intelligence's Border Patrol. These secretive aircraft were operated until 2008, when they were finally retired.
(Back in the real world...)
When I was a kid and drawing up all these fictional aircraft for a what-if air force, Dad took one look at the "AC-737" and pointed out the very issues addressed in the "history" above. I replied "No one said it was a *good* idea," and he laughed. When you're the son of an aviation historian and you're an airplane nut yourself, sometimes you even design failed aircraft!
When I started model building, I bought a Hasegawa 1/144 737-200 and painted it in red-white-and-blue "Border Patrol" colors. For an early effort, it wasn't bad, but...it wasn't good, either. In 2018, I decided to go back and repaint the aircraft as an "AC-737," though I couldn't find gatling guns in that scale that looked right. I also made the mistake of using Citadel Warhammer paints, which are not designed for this sort of work. The result was some thick paint buildups and huge brush strokes. I was so disgusted I didn't even want to post it, but, in the interest of completeness, here it is.
With better paint, probably it would look better, and it still looks somewhat all right, with two shades of dark gray over black. I used the drop tank from a 1/72 scale F-5A for the "Elint bulge" on the fuselage; unseen on the bottom is a "gunlaying radar"--actually a rice bowl from a 1/35 scale Viet Cong soldier! I might add some more details (and some actual guns) in the future, along with a repaint, but for now, here is the AC-737A Dragonnel. As I stated, no one said it was a good idea!
Boeing AC-737A Dragonnel
(The following is a fictional history of a semi-fictional aircraft. It is not to be taken seriously!)
In 1979, the Free Intelani Air Force came to the realization that the next war might be another counterinsurgency one, rather than the Third World War everyone dreaded in Central Europe. As many FIRAF pilots were former USAF veterans of Vietnam, it made sense for the service to acquire gunships of some kind. The USAF was reluctant to part with the technology of the AC-130 Spectre, and the FIRAF was not going to use obsolete AC-47 Spookys. Instead, the idea was to create a gunship using a preexisting aircraft, but not a propeller-driven aircraft--rather a jet one. This would give the gunship much faster speed to get to troops in contact, and if an airliner was used, the loiter time might be only slightly less than an AC-130.
In 1980, the FIRAF contacted Boeing on conversion of the widely-used 737-200 airliner to a gunship; as 737s were used worldwide, this would also make acquiring the aircraft cheaper and spare parts more plentiful. Boeing was surprised and somewhat reluctant, as the 737 was a low-wing airliner, seemingly unsuited for the gunship role. Despite the company's reservations, plans went forward, and the first AC-737A Dragonnel was rolled out in mid-1982.
The Dragonnel had all of the AC-130's electronics and then some, updated for the 1980s, and could if necessary act in the electronic intelligence (Elint) role as well. Armament consisted of four General Electric M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannons arrayed on the port side, two forward and two aft of the wing. A complete countermeasures suite was included, as well as a strengthened airframe and armored floors; Boeing's standard "gravel kit" for the 737 was included as standard, as AC-737s might have to operate from unimproved runways. Testing was satisfactory, and the FIRAF ordered 24 Dragonnels, with the first batch going to the 43rd Special Operations Squadron at Lassen IAFB, California.
In August 1984, the Third World War did break out, and the AC-737s were committed to the war effort--though not in Central Europe, where the ground and air threat was considered too great. Instead, they were committed to the Norwegian Front, where the Soviet threat was lesser. All the same, the problems soon began. While the AC-737 could respond faster than the AC-130, it had less armament and, as it lacked heavy weapons such as the 40mm Bofors or the 105mm howitzer of the AC-130H, it could only engage infantry and lightly armored vehicles. Worst of all was that firing the two forward 20mm risked the shells being sucked into the port engine, and the low-slung engines of the 737 were far more vulnerable to ground fire. Though no AC-737s were lost, several were heavily damaged and made it back home. A scandal erupted back home when it was revealed that Boeing had warned the FIRAF about the Dragonnel's issues, but these were ignored and hushed up.
With the AC-737 less than effective, the remaining aircraft were cancelled and, though the Dragonnels served until the end of the war in 1987, they were swiftly retired...in favor of the AC-130H, which the FIRAF finally got permission to modify on their own. Most of the AC-737s ended their days ignominiously as range targets, though four were reactivated in 1994 as C-737As. These were modified for use as Elint and psychological warfare aircraft, similar to the USAF's EC-130H Compass Call and Commando Solo aircraft, and operated by Intelani Intelligence's Border Patrol. These secretive aircraft were operated until 2008, when they were finally retired.
(Back in the real world...)
When I was a kid and drawing up all these fictional aircraft for a what-if air force, Dad took one look at the "AC-737" and pointed out the very issues addressed in the "history" above. I replied "No one said it was a *good* idea," and he laughed. When you're the son of an aviation historian and you're an airplane nut yourself, sometimes you even design failed aircraft!
When I started model building, I bought a Hasegawa 1/144 737-200 and painted it in red-white-and-blue "Border Patrol" colors. For an early effort, it wasn't bad, but...it wasn't good, either. In 2018, I decided to go back and repaint the aircraft as an "AC-737," though I couldn't find gatling guns in that scale that looked right. I also made the mistake of using Citadel Warhammer paints, which are not designed for this sort of work. The result was some thick paint buildups and huge brush strokes. I was so disgusted I didn't even want to post it, but, in the interest of completeness, here it is.
With better paint, probably it would look better, and it still looks somewhat all right, with two shades of dark gray over black. I used the drop tank from a 1/72 scale F-5A for the "Elint bulge" on the fuselage; unseen on the bottom is a "gunlaying radar"--actually a rice bowl from a 1/35 scale Viet Cong soldier! I might add some more details (and some actual guns) in the future, along with a repaint, but for now, here is the AC-737A Dragonnel. As I stated, no one said it was a good idea!