Modifications to Air Force Special Operations Command's (AFSOC) fleet of AC-130 gunships means that even if a planned August test of the new Airborne High Energy Laser (AHEL) system aboard an AC-130J ...

As the US Air Force AC-130J flies over South Korea’s towering apartment blocks, its powerful cameras can almost see inside windows on the highest floors. Aiming farther afield, the weapons officers on ...

A bouquet of flowers stood in the bright sunshine atop a plaque at Hurlburt Field last Friday, where the 1st Special Operations Wing hosted a ceremony in remembrance of the largest single loss of life ...

For nearly 60 years, the many different variants of the AC-130 have supported special operations and conventional troops in almost every battlefield that the U.S. military has found itself in. As the ...

During the Vietnam War, the United States Air Force's first gunship, the AC-47, was introduced. It was primarily created to ...

Service: USAF Armament: AC-130H: 40mm and 105mm cannons; AC-130U: 40mm, 105mm cannons and 25mm gatling gun. Propulsion: Four Allison T56-A-15 turboprop engines Speed: 300 mph Range: 1,300 nm Crew: ...

The AC-130 Spectre Gunship Still Plays a Critical Role in America’s Close Air Support Capability. It is large, slow and vulnerable to air defense systems including increasingly effective man-portable ...

No matter the variant, the AC-130 is jam-packed with the sort of weaponry one would expect to find on a “gunship.” The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is somewhat pedestrian as far as military aircraft goes—a ...

The AC-130 flying gunship fleet is one of the most fabled and feared assets in the entire USAF inventory. Known for its ability to unleash a broadside of cannon fire in the dead of night, the newest ...

The U.S. military operates many military transport aircraft, but one of the most impressive is the C-130 Hercules, which entered active service in 1954. The aircraft can transport everything from ...