The primary missions of the United States Air Force's AC-130H Spectre and AC-130U Spookygunships are close air support, air interdiction, and force protection. Missions in close air support are troops in contact, convoyescort and urban operations. Air interdiction missions are conducted against planned targets or targets of opportunity. Force protection missions include air basedefense and facilities defense.
Equipment
These heavily armed aircraft incorporate side-firing weapons integrated with sophisticated sensor, navigation and fire control systems to provide targeted firepower or area saturation whilst spending long periods flying over their target area at night and in adverse weather. The sensor suite consists of a television sensor, infrared sensor, and radar. These sensors allow the gunship to visually or electronically identify friendly ground forces and targets in most conditions. The AC-130U is equipped with the AN/APQ-180, a synthetic aperture radar for long-range target detection and identification. The gunship's navigational devices include the inertial navigation systems and Global Positioning System. The AC-130U employs technologies developed in the 1990s and can attack two targets simultaneously. It also has twice the munitions capacity of the AC-130H.
The AC-130 gunship has a combat history dating to the Vietnam War, where it replaced the AC-47 and the AC-119. According to legend, the side-firing gunship idea came from old mail airplanes which flew in a circle to deliver a package accurately; in any case, whereas forward-firing gunships can only fire during the short time of the firing pass, the side-firing gunship circling around the target can shoot non-stop, so the enemy is kept under fire (or the area denied) continuously as long as the gunship is present. Also, a side-firing gunship spotting a fast-moving target (such as a truck) can attack quicker, as it doesn't need a separate approach and firing pass maneuver: it simply turns to the enemy and takes aim.
In Vietnam, gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many crucial close air support missions. During the Invasion of Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury1) in 1983, AC-130s suppressed enemy air defense systems and attacked ground forces enabling the successful assault of the Point Salines Airfield via airdrop and air land of friendly forces. The AC-130 aircrew earned the Lt. Gen. William H. Tunner Award for the mission.
During Operation Desert Storm1, AC-130s provided close air support and force protection (air base defense) for ground forces. Gunships were also used during operations Operation Restore Hope1 and United Shield1 in Somalia, providing close air support for United Nations ground forces. More recently, gunships played a pivotal role in supporting the NATO mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The AC-130H provided air interdiction against key targets in the Sarajevo area.
In 1997, gunships were diverted from Italy to provide combat air support for U.S. and allied ground troops during the evacuation of American noncombatants in Albania. Gunships also were part of the buildup of U.S. forces in 1998 to convince Iraq to comply with U.N. weapons inspections. Gunships were later used in the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 Iraq War.
Current deployment
The AC-130H is produced at a cost of $132.4 million U.S. Dollars, and the AC-130U is produced at a cost of $190 million U.S. Dollars (fiscal 2001 constant dollars). Currently there are eight AC-130H and thirteen AC-130U aircraft in active duty service.
The AC-130 gunship series is one of the most expensive aircraft ever made due to its unique nature. It is also expensive to maintain due to the wide variety of equipment installed. The heat signature reduction components alone are a cause of consternation to aircraft mechanics and have become almost legendary among maintenance personnel for their inability to properly diffuse engine exhaust temperatures without warping or cracking.
Civilian casualties and controversy
The use of gunships in general and the AC-130 in particular has been controversial at times. Although the onboard systems are effective at identifying targets, it is unable to reliably tell whether those targets are civilians or military. Incidents of mistaken attacks on demonstrations[1] and weddings[2] have been explained as a response to celebratory firing of small-caliber weapons (e.g., AK-47s), which was mistaken for anti-aircraft fire. Further, in combat areas such as Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, fighters tend to be mixed with, or are in fact a part of the local population, often claimed to be a deliberate use of civilians as "human shields". This intermingling of population with fighters means that attacks on military targets risk civilian casualties, since it is impossible to distinguish un-uniformed combatants from noncombatants.
The greater accuracy of attacks from the AC-130 has been claimed [3] to reduce accidental casualties compared to high-level bombing.
A new program has been initiated to upgrade the armament of existing AC-130s still in service. On the drawing board are plans to replace the GAU-12/U with a member of the Bushmaster family, whether it be an existing 25 mm M242 Bushmaster or a newer Bushmaster II or Bushmaster III cannon. There are also plans to look into replacing the M102 howitzer with a breech-loading 120 mm mortar, and to give the AC-130 a standoff capability using either the AGM-114 Hellfire missile or Hydra 70 rocket.
1 While the Operational name is considered by some to be biased and propaganda it is nonetheless a valid term within the US. It identifies the engagement individuals/equipment were involved in and medals/awards are given under the Operational Name.
