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. The ac us will soldier on while ac js will replace older ac h models. Eight of the 14 crewmen aboard were killed in the crash. Jan 20, 2016 the spooky is the third generation of c gunships. Continuing the distinguished combat history of sidefiring ac gunships, the new ac u spectre gunship is being fielded as a replacement for the ac a aircraft. The usaf finally gives its acw gunship the big gun it. Ac hu gunship ebook john hamilton by danutacato issuu. Meanwhile, photos of crew members going about their duties are often shown without manipulation. All the ac h gunships are retiring and the 16 sos will be closing down soon. Ac hu gunships covers the ins and outs of the huge air force plane that provides gunfire cover for ground troops.
Presents information about ac h u gunships, covering how they are used, their history, and their specifications. At the time the aircraft was known as a dragonship, puff, the magic dragon. Air force special operations command plans to install combat lasers on ac gunships within a year. The lockheed ac gunship is a heavily armed, longendurance, ground attack variant of. The original and unofficial nickname for the ac gunship was puff the magic dragon or puff. Burns, an aerial gunner assigned to the deadliest squadron in air force history.
This title explores the development and use of the ac h u gunship. Unlike other modern military fixedwing aircraft, the ac relies on visual targeting. The lockheed ac gunship is a heavily armed, longendurance, groundattack variant of. The original ac h spectre was fielded in 1972, and. The hmodel is the second generation of c gunships, all of which evolved from the first operational gunship, the ac 47. 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. The ac u spooky and ac w stinger ii variants are used to support ground troops, escort convoys, and in towns and cities. Features such as sidefiring weapons, sophisticated television and infrared sensors, navigation and fire control systems and synthetic aperture strike radar are detailed. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and. All gunships evolved from the first operational gunship, the ac 47.
The douglas ac 47 spooky also nicknamed puff, the magic dragon was the first in a series of fixed wing gunships developed by the united states air force during the vietnam war. Between spooky and spectre there were shadow and stinger. Always update books hourly, if not looking, search in the book. The story of spirit 03, whilst sad, was also one of heroism the kind youd find in the us air force special operations command community.
There is an official history book in the works that details ac operations from 19732014. The resulting ac w stinger iis are operated by the air force 73rd special operations squadron out of cannon air force base, new mexico. Get e books ac h u gunship on pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi and audiobook for free. The ac gunship has a combat history dating to vietnam.
Each book is bolstered with a glossary, list of further reading, and index. On that mission, a 37 mm round hit their gunship in the right horizontal stabilizer. Built precisely to 1400 scale, the diecast model employs some brand new toolings. Fire from the sky with 50 years of the gunship ac inside 920 28 inside the deadly ac spectrespookystinger ii. Lockheed ac project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading grenada grinder. Multiple ac u spooky and ac w stinger ii gunships during exercise emerald warrior including aircraft prep, start up, takeoffs, live fire. Home troubled areas afghanistan close air support debate. The lockheed ac gunship is a heavily armed ground attack aircraft currently in service with the united states air force.
Jockey 14 was operating in support of ongoing operations in and around mogadishu, somalia at the time of the accident. Mar 27, 2010 the ac gunship has a combat history dating to vietnam. Then major charlie spicka was scheduled for a routine ac a spectre gunship interdiction mission over the trails in laos on march 27, 69. Deadly ac gunship in action firing all its cannons. Air force photosenior airman eboni reece photo details download hires 8 of 8. We go inside an ac to see if the gunship is still relevant. By january 2016, the flying branch still had nearly 30 of the older ac us and ac ws. Features such as sidefiring weapons, sophisticated television and infrared senso. The lockheed ac gunship is a heavilyarmed groundattack aircraft variant of the c hercules transport plane. The usaf finally gives its ac w gunship the big gun it desperately needs the service did not originally plan to put the hardhitting 105mm howitzer on newer gunships. 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.
World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive collection ever assembled. The ac h spectre was introduced in 1969 and was used for 46 years in service. Mar 06, 2017 a us ac h spectre gunship dropping flares during a training mission. In may 2015, the air force finally retired the last ac h during a ceremony at cannon air force base in new mexico. Two months later, the service received the first of the newest gunship variant, the ac j. This title explores the development and use of the achu gunship. Readers will follow the history of the aircraft and learn about its military and performance. All gunships evolved from the first operational gunship, the ac 47, to the ac 119, and then the ac a which was the basis for the modern c gunship. The ach spectre gunships were fielded in 1972 and retired in 2015. Ac gun ship set for laser upgrade within a year daily. The douglas ac 47 spooky was the first notable modern gunship.
The spooky umodel is the third generation of c gunships. Ac mission footage from defend the night circa 1970s air force film click to subscribe. On october 25, 1983, on orders from president reagan, three ach spectre gunships flew combat missions in operation urgent fury over the caribbean island of grenada. The ac a gunship ii superseded the ac 47 gunship i during the vietnam war. Search results for c gunship wallpaper adorable wallpapers special operations forces history. It is a variation of the c hercules transport plane. Readers will follow the history of the aircraft and learn about its military and performance specifications, as well as its advantages in the field.
Gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with. The lockheed ac gunship is a heavily armed, longendurance groundattack variant of the c hercules transport fixedwing aircraft. Always update books hourly, if not looking, search in the book search column. These gunships were configured to circle the target instead of performing strafing runs. The douglas ac 47d spooky gunship, better known as puff the magic dragon, proved its usefulness right from the beginning of its use in vietnam during 1964. A stateoftheart suite of electronic and infrared countermeasures greatly enhance the ac us survivability against modern threats. An ac h gunship, nicknamed excalibur, flies overhead, may 26, 2015 at cannon air force base, n. Features such as sidefiring weapons, sophisticated television and infrared. Fire from the sky with 50 years of the ac gunship sofrep. 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.
The ac gunship is a devastating display of force and firepower. Carlos alvarezs most popular book is ac h u gunships military machines. The ach spectre was introduced in 1969 and was used for 46 years in service. Sep 24, 2019 this page details the development and operational history of the lockheed ach spectre acu spooky close airsupport cas air interdiction force protection gunship including technical specifications and pictures. The sound was indescribable, a deep guttural roar that anyone who has ever heard and lived, will always remember. 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. It carries a wide array of antiground oriented weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, navigation, and firecontrol systems. Acu gunship historical snapshot in 1987, north american rockwell began to modify the c hercules airframe, manufactured by the lockheed martin aeronautics company, for the ac gunship. Veterans from conflicts stretching from vietnam to operation enduring freedom were recognized during the aircrafts retirement ceremony. The primary emphasis here is on vietnam operations, but the author also covers ac service in the middle east. Get e books gunship on pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi and audiobook for free.
The aca gunship ii superseded the ac47 gunship i in the vietnam war. Everything you need to know about the ac gunship americas. John hamilton presents information about ac h u gunships, covering how they are used, their history, and their specifications. It was the call sign of the last ac gunship shot down in combat. The complete story of ac h spectre gunship operation urgent fury kindle edition by couvillon, michael. I have checked out a number of books about my old ac h gunships. Gunship the essence of american air superiority puff the magic dragon on steroids. 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. It was a story of american airmen putting the lives of their brothers in arms engaged in grueling ground combat above their own. Airmen and retirees young and old pose with gravedigger, a retired ac h spectre gunship memorialized on may 6, 2014 at cannon afb.
The ac has taken part in combat operations in diverse locations such as grenada, honduras, panama, iraq, somalia, haiti, kosovo and afghanistan. The resulting ac w stinger iis are operated by the air force 73rd special operations squadron out. The lockheed ac gunship is a heavily armed, longendurance, groundattack variant of the c hercules transport, fixedwing aircraft. In late 1967 the development of the gunship continued with the fairchild ac119g shadow and ac119k stinger both developments of fairchilds c119 flying boxcar tactical airlifter. Dec 16, 20 the ac j is the fourth generation gunship replacing the aging fleet of ac uw gunships. It carries a wide array of ground attack weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, navigation, and firecontrol systems. Get ebooks gunship on pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi and audiobook for free. Gunship history between spooky and spectre there were shadow and stinger spooky gunship upgraded version of the spectre battlefield 4 gunship is a powerful ground attack vehicle that is unlocked via the new commander feature. The lockheed ac gunship is a heavily armed groundattack aircraft variant of the c hercules transport plane. Sep 29, 2017 the douglas ac47d spooky gunship, better known as puff the magic dragon, proved its usefulness right from the beginning of its use in vietnam during 1964. It was designed to provide more firepower than light and medium groundattack aircraft in certain situations when ground forces called for close air support. In their first operational livefire outing since vietnam, the gunships provided protective fire support and armed reconnaissance for two battalions from the armys 75th ranger regiment making an airborne assault on the point salines airport. The ac e was a truly awesome gunship able to destroy whole supply convoys and more upgraded avionics and this massive gun created the ac h. Ach spectre gunships final mission the aviationist.
None of our partner shops or mates has this currently for sale. 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. The ac w 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. To celebrate the retirement of the spectre, whose develop. Minicraft usaf c hercules gunship mmi14537 usaf c hercules gunship this is a usaf ac h gunship plastic model kit from minicraft. Readers will follow the history of the aircraft and learn about its military and performance specifications, as well as its. Among the aerial order of battle was a group of us air force ac h spectre gunships converted c tactical transport aircraft that were armed to the teeth with a pair of 20 mm m61vulcan rotary cannons, an l60 bofors 40 mm cannon, and a 105 mm m102 howitzer.
The air force is the only operator of the ac and the gunship has been providing. Ach gunship hurlburt field hurlburt field fact sheets. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. For the ac to perform its mission, it needs the air force to achieve air dominance or air superiority. Meet the air forces ultimate battle plane and your new. He includes some gunship exotica as well, such as the black spot nc123ks and the strange variety of gunships used by the south vietnamese, thai and khmer air forces. The basic airframe is manufactured by lockheed, while boeing is responsible for the conversion into a gunship and for aircraft support. Achu gunship ebook by john hamilton nook book ebook. Dragon warbirds is offering a fine miniature version of the ac h spectre gunship. The head of air force special operations command has revealed plans to put a laser weapon on an ac gunship within ayear. This page details the development and operational history of the lockheed ach spectre ac u spooky close airsupport cas air interdiction force protection gunship including technical specifications and pictures. The gunship has a long and proud history beginning in southeast asia over 46 years ago.
The ac is the gunship variant of the immortal c hercules which will be mentioned in a later section. Oct 25, 2016 the ac j ghostrider is the fourth generation gunship set to replace the special operations fleet of ac h uw gunships at hurlburt field, fla. Static display dedicated at ach retirement ceremony. In late 1967 the development of the gunship continued with the fairchild ac 119g shadow and ac 119k stinger both developments of fairchilds c119 flying boxcar tactical airlifter. It is powerful enough to provide close air support to ground troops and also against insurgents. All achs started out as aces, but in the 1970s received upgraded engines, and other modifications, that led to their redesignation as achs. The complete story of ac h spectre gunship operation urgent fury. Gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many lifesaving close air support missions. Carlos alvarez has 68 books on goodreads with 184 ratings. There are more than 1 million books that have been enjoyed by people from all over the world.
This program acquires new basic c h aircraft for modification and integration by boeing to the ac u gunship configuration. The ac gunship and millions of other books are available for amazon. Minnesota pageperfect nook book by john hamilton nook. As the country faces a potentially monthslong emergency over the novel coronavirus crisis, the. This title explores the development and use of the ac hu gunship. With the increase enemy anti aircraft guns a bigger weapon was needed on the gunship and the rear 40mm guns were replaced with a single 105mm howitzer the biggest gun carried by any aircraft. The gunship s sole user is the united states air force, which uses ac h spectre, ac u spooky, ac j ghostrider, and ac w stinger ii 2 variants for close air support, air interdiction and force protection. Fire from the sky with 50 years of the ac gunship.
Ac h spectre gunship 3d tactical military badges embroidered patch back with loop and hook. Gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many. The ac h spectre gunships were fielded in 1972 and retired in 2015. The ac gunship and the vietnam war warfare history network.
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