During Operation Desert Storm, Spectres provided air base defense and close air support for ground forces. They were called into action during Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada, suppressing air defense positions and attacking ground forces, enabling an airborne assault at Point Salines Airfield.ĭuring Operation Just Cause, the invasion of Panama in 1989, AC-130 crews destroyed the Panamanian Defense Force Headquarters and several command and control facilities. Introduced during the Vietnam War, Air Force Special Operations crews have flown the gunship in nearly every war since. Much slower than fighter jets, the turbo-prop engines allow AC-130s to circle for hours waiting for targets, or to provide protection for ground troops and convoys. The benefits of the AC-130 gunships are their armored protection and their "loitering" ability. "Exactly how accurate? You wouldn't want to count on it not being accurate." "It's a very accurate weapons system," Roberts said.
According to Air Force fact files, there are eight "H" models and 13 "U" models in service. The AC-130U model, the latest version, carries the capability to engage two targets simultaneously while carrying twice the ammunition of the other model in service, the AC-130H. The Air Force labels the accuracy as "surgical." A sensor suite within the aircraft combines radar, television and infrared targeting, allowing the crews to hit targets in all weather, night and day. The weapons' accuracy rivals those of smart bombs launched from fighter aircraft. It's the same 105 mm the Army would use, except we take it airborne for pre-planned targets or targets of opportunity." "It certainly has those kind of capabilities. "I wouldn't want to be on the other side," Roberts said. Some of the newest models also carry a 25 mm gun, to rain automatic fire on targets below. Those weapons include a 40 mm Bofors cannon and a 105 mm howitzer. It is powered by four turbo-prop engines, and its most identifiable features are the guns jutting from the left side of the aircraft. The AC-130 is based off the C-130 cargo aircraft design and beefed up with a heavy weapons package. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last week said the United States controlled the skies over Afghanistan, and American aircraft could fly with little or no resistance from the ground. However, the use of the AC-130 suggests Taliban air defenses had been badly degraded, especially around populated areas. "īecause of its slow speed and operation at low altitudes, the AC-130 is more vulnerable to anti-aircraft missiles, including shoulder-fired Stinger missiles, which are believed to be the most threatening element of Taliban defenses. The Air Force labels the accuracy as surgical.
0 kommentar(er)
