Table of Contents
What is a spooky plane?
The AC-130U “Spooky” gunship is the primary weapon of Air Force Special Operations Command. Its primary missions are close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance. The U model is an upgraded version of the H and is equipped with side firing, trainable 25 mm, 40 mm, and 105 mm guns.
How many Spooky gunships are there?
53
Douglas AC-47 Spooky
| AC-47 Spooky | |
|---|---|
| Status | In service with the Colombian Air Force |
| Primary user | United States Air Force (former) |
| Produced | 1963-1965 (US military conversions) 1987 and 1993 (Colombian conversions) |
| Number built | 53 |
Why was the AC-130 called Puff the Magic Dragon?
They were known as Spooky, but the GIs christened it Puff the Magic Dragon after a well-known song because the thousands of tracer bullets made it look like the plane was breathing fire.
What gunship was used in Vietnam?
Huey Gunship The first gunships were Bell UH-1 Hueys retrofitted with extra armor plating, machine guns, and rocket launchers. These gunships were used throughout the war.
Was the C 130 used in Vietnam?
They were used in Vietnam from 1962-1970. Beginning in 1965, the C-130 Hercules with its four turbo-prop engines, superior 15-ton payload, and its ability to rapidly offload palletized cargo dominated airlift operations in Vietnam.
What was the Douglas AC-47 Spooky?
Douglas AC-47 Spooky. The Douglas AC-47 Spooky (also nicknamed “Puff, the Magic Dragon”) was the first in a series of gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was designed to provide more firepower than light and medium ground-attack aircraft in certain situations when ground forces called for close air support .
Why was the AC-47 called the Magic Dragon?
The Douglas AC-47 Spooky (also nicknamed “Puff, the Magic Dragon”) was the first in a series of gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was designed to provide more firepower than light and medium ground-attack aircraft in certain situations when ground forces called for close air support.
How many AC-47 Spooky’s were used in Vietnam?
The last American AC-47 combat mission happened on December 1, 1969, by the 4th Special Operations Squadron, formally the 4th Air Commando Squadron. Out of the 53 AC-47 Spooky’s delivered to Vietnam, about 41 of them sawcombat service throughout the Vietnam War. Twelve gunships were lost to combat reasons, and 19 airframes were lost in total.
What happened to the Air Force’s Air Force Spooky gunships?
Air Force aircraft regularly fly with discrepancies, so a plane with zero is a rarity. The AC-130U Spooky has been replaced by two other gunships: the AC-130J Ghostrider and AC-130W Stinger II. The AC-130J is on track to test fire an airborne laser weapon system in 2022.