The Lockheed AC-130 Specter military aircraft was created by American engineers based on the Lockheed C-130 model. The world-famous Boeing organization was in charge of equipping additional equipment and weapons necessary for combat operations. The AC-130 aircraft took an active part in the combat operations of the Vietnam War.
Lockheed AC-130 Specter
AC-130 - a heavily armed ground support aircraft
The AC-130 Specter/Spooky aircraft is a redesigned version of the well-known Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, designed for fire support for reconnaissance and sabotage units and ground forces. The aircraft can be used to carry out independent operations that involve carrying out air strikes against ground targets deep behind enemy lines, as well as protecting air bases, isolating individual combat areas, reconnaissance and surveillance, control and command at the tactical level. In total, several modifications of this vehicle were developed, which differ in the set of artillery weapons and radio equipment. There are currently 21 such aircraft in service with the US Air Force Special Operations Command: 13 AC-130U Spooky aircraft entered service in 1995 and 8 AC-130H Spektr aircraft in service since 1972. Work on the latest modification of the AC-130U began on July 6, 1987 with a contract totaling $155.2 million. The total amount spent on the implementation of this project by the end of 1992 amounted to $523.9 million. The AC-130U gunship was designed by Rockwell by upgrading the C-130N military transport. In appearance, the new Gunship differs from the base model in the presence on the left side of the fuselage of gun barrels and corresponding hatches and embrasures, as well as far protruding antenna fairings. The new modification differed from its predecessor AC-130H primarily in the use of more advanced weapons and electronic equipment.
AC-130U weapon system (nose to tail):
— 25-mm five-barreled Gatling gun General Electric GAU-12/U (rate of fire 1800 rounds/min, ammunition 3000 rounds); — 40-mm Bofors L-60 Bofors cannon (rate of fire 100 rounds/min, ammunition 256 rounds); — 105-mm howitzer M-102, designed on the basis of a standard army howitzer (rate of fire 6-10 rounds/min, ammunition 98 rounds).
The main difference from the AC-130H Spektr is the use of a five-barrel 25 mm gun mount instead of the 20 mm Vulcan. Despite the fact that the Gatling gun has a large mass (122 kg versus 116 kg for the Vulcan) and a large mass of ammunition, it provides a higher initial velocity of projectiles (1200 m/s versus 1030 m/s), thanks to which it was possible to achieve an increase its range of use from 2.7 km to 3.7 km, as well as shooting accuracy. Additionally, the issue of arming the Hellfire ATGM aircraft is being considered.
During an attack, the Gunship AC-130U turns over the target so that the target is always in the center of the turn. On this modification of the “air battleship” all the guns are movable, so pilots no longer need to strictly maintain the aircraft’s trajectory to achieve the most accurate shooting. In addition, the aircraft's less predictable trajectory increases its survivability. In addition, the AC-130U modification has learned to simultaneously fire at 2 targets. When firing in adverse weather conditions or at night, the guns can be aimed using a Hughes AN/APQ-180 digital fire control radar, a Texas Instruments AN/AAQ-117 forward-looking infrared station (180o viewing angle) or a GEC-Marconi ALLTV camera ( all-light-level TV).
The electronic equipment of Ganship AC-130U includes:
— Multifunctional radar AN/APG-80 (modification of the radar used on the F-15 fighter). This radar station provides terrain mapping, detection and further tracking of moving targets, weather reconnaissance and navigation using radio beacons. The station can also be used to perform navigation tasks. The high resolution of the radar when tracking the earth's surface is achieved by using a synthesized aperture antenna, which is located on the left side of the aircraft's nose. — Inertial navigation system. — Optoelectronic pilot indicator, which displays the combat situation against the background of the cockpit windshield. — NAVSTAR satellite navigation system equipment. — 4 on-board computers IBM IP-102 with a triple digital data bus MIL-STD-1553B
The Ganship AC-130U personal protection system consists of:
— an ITT Avionics AN/ALQ-17 electronic jamming station located at the base of the stabilizer; — 90 IR traps and 300 MJU7 or 180 M206 dipole reflectors in 3 installations located under the fuselage; — IR systems AN/AAR-44; — Loral AN/ALR-56M receiver, used to detect radar exposure.
The AC-130U Spooky has a crew of 13: 2 pilots, a navigator, 2 observers, 4 electronics operators, a fire control officer and 3 gunners. Five crew members (fire control officer and operators) are located in the combat control center - a special armored capsule in the middle of the fuselage. All of them have access to 5 indicators, which display information from various radio-electronic subsystems of the gunship (television, infrared, radar, navigation and electronic warfare). The indicators are located in the compartment in the shape of the letter U, which allows each of the crew members, if necessary, to read information from any indicator from their workplace, which significantly reduces the need for negotiations.
While the aircraft is in the immediate combat zone, general target designation is carried out by the fire control officer. Two observers, one of whom is located in the tail and the other in the front of the aircraft, carry out visual observation, warning of a possible air threat to the right along the aircraft's course, promptly notifying the rest of the crew about it.
To maintain the crew's performance during long flights, a special soundproof compartment was installed behind the cockpit, in which rest areas are located. Among other things, the AC-130U aircraft has the ability to refuel in the air, and can also be equipped with hinged armor protection made of composite materials, which is used when performing particularly dangerous missions.
Aircraft performance characteristics
Length – 34.37 m, height – 11.66 m, wingspan – 40.41 m. Maximum take-off weight – 79,380 kg. Engine power (Allison T56-A-15) 4 pcs. – 4,508 hp Maximum speed – 602 km/h, cruising speed – 556 km/h, stall speed – 185 km/h. Flight range with full tanks, including external ones with a load of 7,081 kg. – 7,876 km. The fuel reserve in the internal tanks is 26,344 liters, the fuel in the external tanks (2 pcs.) is 5,146 liters, the total reserve is 36,636 liters. Service ceiling – 10,060 m. Take-off run – 1091 m, run – 518 m.
Combat use
The first serious task that faced American gunships was operations in Indochina during the Vietnam War. The Americans used these aircraft to hunt for vehicles on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. All AC-130s used in Vietnam were assigned to the 16th Special Operations Squadron, which was located at U Bon Air Base. Airplanes carried out regular flights over the trail during the so-called “dry seasons.” In 1969-1970, only 2 planes flew over the trail. Subsequently, their number continuously increased. Gunships flew on missions only during the dry season; in May, rains began in Vietnam, and for 6 months the movement of any transport on the way from Laos to South Vietnam ceased naturally.
Based on combat experience gained in 1969-1970, the US Air Force developed the following criteria for assessing vehicle damage:
- a car was considered destroyed if it received a direct hit from a 40-mm Bofors cannon shell or caught fire; — a car was considered damaged if it was hit by a 20 mm shell or a 40 mm shell exploded within a radius of 3 meters from it.
The dry season of 1970-1971 brought the greatest success to the AC-130H aircraft. With a black belly and camouflage on top, the night hunters accounted for approximately 12,741 destroyed and damaged vehicles. However, it is worth noting that this figure is very arbitrary, since more than 5,000 more trucks were chalked up by the crews of other aircraft. Moreover, according to American intelligence, the entire Viet Cong vehicle fleet consisted of 18,000 vehicles. That is, based on the reports, over the winter the pilots destroyed all the trucks, and some several times, if we speak in the terminology of developed socialism, there were clearly additions in the pilots’ reports.
However, already in 1972, the situation changed, US intelligence discovered the first Soviet S-75 air defense systems on the trail. A mortal threat automatically loomed over the AC-130 aircraft, since there was no salvation for the clumsy rotorcraft from surface-to-air missiles. But the Americans did not dare to cancel the flights; the activities of the night hunters were very effective.
The reckoning for this came on March 31, when the AC-130, armed with a 105-mm cannon, was shot down by radar-guided anti-aircraft guns. 15 members of its crew survived and were evacuated to the mainland by helicopters, but after 2 days the S-75 missile sent the second gunship fell to the ground, the crew of which was completely killed. The loss of two expensive aircraft forced the Americans to abandon flights; on April 2, 1972, the use of these aircraft in Vietnam was put to rest.
After Vietnam, AC-130 aircraft were left out of service for a long time, interrupting their downtime in October 1983 during the US invasion of Grenada. Gunship crews suppressed several batteries of Grenada's small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery and also provided fire cover for the landing of paratroopers. The next operation with their participation was “Just Cause” - the US invasion of Panama. In this operation, the AC-130 targets were the airbases of Rio Hato and Paitilla, the Torrijos/Tosamen airport and the port of Balboa, as well as a number of individual military installations. The fighting did not last long - from December 20, 1989 to January 7, 1990.
The US military called this operation intended specifically for gunships. The almost complete absence of air defense and the very limited area of conflict made the AC-130 the kings of the air. For aircraft crews, the war turned into target practice flights. In Panama, the AC-130 crews practiced their classic tactics: 2 aircraft entered a turn in such a way that at a certain point in time they were in two opposite points of the circle, while all their fire converged on the surface of the earth in a circle with a diameter of 15 meters, literally destroying everything. what got in the way. During the fighting, planes also flew during the daytime.
During Desert Storm, 4 AC-130N aircraft from the 4th Squadron made 50 combat missions, with a total flight time exceeding 280 hours. The main goal of the gunships was to destroy the Scud ballistic missile launchers and airborne early detection radars, but they failed to cope with either one. During the operation, it turned out that in desert conditions, in the heat and air saturated with sand and dust, the infrared systems of the aircraft were absolutely useless. Moreover, one AC-130N, while covering ground troops in the battle for Al-Hafi, was shot down by an Iraqi air defense system, and the entire crew of the aircraft was killed. This loss confirmed a truth known since Vietnam - in areas saturated with air defense systems, such aircraft have nothing to do.
Main tasks of a military aircraft
The main tasks that military transport had to cope with were the following:
- First of all, this model was considered as a fire support aircraft, capable of “covering” ground troops if necessary.
- Patrol enemy territories and attack them.
- Precisely carry out air strikes on previously marked enemy targets, both on the ground and in the air.
- Carry out strategic defense of bases.
Design engineers began working on creating the most powerful aircraft of those times (pictured) in early 1965. Upon completion of the work, the American Air Force wanted to see a completely new model of air transport with the most improved performance in terms of flight time, take-off weight and even maximum speed.
