GUNSHIP EVOLUTION

SINCE ITS DEBUT DURING THE VIETNAM WAR, THE U.S. AIR FORCE’S AC-130 GUNSHIP HAS PLAYED AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN CLOSE AIR SUPPORT, AIR INTERDICTION AND FORCE PROTECTION PROVIDED TO U.S. GROUND TROOPS.

This includes not only close support of troops under fire and defending air bases, but also escorting convoys, specialized urban operations and interdiction missions conducted against preplanned targets. To accomplish these missions the gunship’s weaponry and electronic sophistication have evolved exponentially over the years.

The gunship program began in 1964 when U.S. Special Forces in Vietnam were in dire need of night firepower in their fight against localized attacks by Communist insurgents on the fortified hamlets and military outposts in the Mekong Delta. The gunship idea originated with an informal suggestion by a staff officer in the 1st Combat Applications Group, sister organization to the 1st Air Commando Wing based at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. He suggested evaluating side-firing guns mounted in