The US-built AC-130 close-fire support aircraft, also referred to as the "flying battery", is a unique aircraft of its kind. Rebuilt from the military transport C-130 Hercules, this attack aircraft is the eternal companion of the American special operations forces. The debut of the combat aircraft fell on the Vietnam War. The aircraft has been actively operated since 1968 and is not going to retire. The latest version of the combat aircraft, designated the AC-130J Ghostrider (Ghost Rider), is gradually entering service with the US Air Force and has been actively operated in Afghanistan since 2019.
AC-130J Ghostrider Program
The AC-130J Ghostrider is to replace the outdated AC-130H and AC-130U close-support aircraft in the US Air Force. The first flight of the updated version of the aircraft took place back in January 2014. The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) plans to receive 37 Ghost Riders by 2025. The total investment in the AC-130J Ghostrider aircraft program is estimated at $ 2.4 billion.
The aircraft are converted into this modification from the existing MC-130J. In fact, in this project, the flight characteristics of the military transport aircraft of the MC-130 special forces and the AC-130 gunships are combined. The first MC-130J aircraft, intended for further conversion to the AC-130J Ghostrider version, arrived at Eglin air base in January 2013. And the new modification of the gunship received its official name Ghostrider even earlier - in May 2012. A distinctive feature of the MC-130J aircraft was that they could also be used as tankers for refueling helicopters of special forces.
The first series of 16 aircraft in the Block 20 modification was ready by September 2017. The US military should receive a series of 16 AC-130J Ghostrider attack aircraft in the Block 30 modification by 2021. The first aircraft of this version began testing in March 2019. Ultimately, the "Ghost Riders" will have to replace all the obsolete AC-130U gunships in the ranks. Together with the AC-130W gunship, the Ghostrider version will become one of two close fire support aircraft remaining in service with the US Air Force.
The updated version of Block 30 features a fix for all previously identified defects, improved avionics and improved software. The main improvements are aimed at finalizing the fire control system. The new system is better oriented to work in different atmospheric conditions, better takes into account the peculiarities of flight and even reacts to wind shears. Most likely, all previously modernized AC-130J aircraft will eventually be re-equipped to this version.
It is known that the Block 30 Ghostrider aircraft have been actively used by the Americans in Afghanistan since 2019. The vehicles were used to provide fire support to Afghan troops and allied ground forces fighting the Taliban and various terrorist and criminal groups. In early November 2019 alone, Ghost Riders flew 218 sorties in Afghanistan, and the total time spent in the sky was approximately 1,400 hours. Separately, it was emphasized that the aircraft were used to perform combat missions at night, when the threat of their destruction from the ground is minimal.
Flight technical features of AC-130J Ghostrider aircraft
Unlike the MC-130J aircraft, the Ghost Rider will no longer be able to refuel anyone in the air, but at the same time, the gunship itself can always be refueled right in flight, which increases the time of its continuous stay in the sky. The rest of the flight performance of the AC-130J Ghostrider is almost completely similar to its predecessor. The maximum length of the aircraft is 29.3 meters, the height is 11.9 meters, the wingspan is 39.7 meters. The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is 164,000 lb (74,390 kg). The aircraft can operate at a maximum altitude of 28,000 feet (8,534 meters) with a payload of 42,000 pounds (19,050 kg).
The crew of the aircraft was significantly reduced in comparison with the previous versions of the gunships. Now the crew consists of two pilots, two officers of combat systems and three operators of artillery weapons, a total of 7 people. A distinctive feature of the AC-130J Ghostrider version is the presence on board of the modern LAIRCM missile defense system with infrared homing heads, which, according to the developers, works in both hemispheres. The system was developed by engineers at Northrop Grumman and is intended to be installed primarily on large military aircraft. This airborne self-defense system detects, tracks and disorients incoming IR-guided missiles to the aircraft.
The aircraft also has an AN / ALR-56 digital warning radar system manufactured by BAE Systems. This system warns pilots in a timely manner that the aircraft has been detected by enemy ground radars. In addition, the "Ghost Rider" is equipped with an extended version of the AN / AAR-47 version 2 missile warning system, which has been supplemented with laser missile threat warning sensors. For the direct removal of the threat of missile destruction, the aircraft is equipped with an AN / ALE-47 decoy ejection machine manufactured by BAE Systems. The device is responsible for shooting false heat targets and dipole reflectors, protecting the aircraft from missiles with infrared and radar guidance systems.
For safety, all aircraft control systems important for flight are duplicated. The aircraft also has a fuel explosion protection system. Critical flight elements and crew positions are additionally armored with QinetiQ lightweight composite armor, which is able to withstand bullets and shrapnel up to 7.62 mm.
Each AC-130J Ghostrider is powered by four Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 turboprop engines developing a maximum power of 3458 kW each. The engines drive four Dowty six-blade propellers. The maximum flight speed of the aircraft at altitude is 670 km / h. Without refueling, the Ghost Rider is able to cover a distance of 3,000 miles (4,830 km).
Ghost Rider Combat Capabilities
It is not by chance that the gunships received such a name. The "Flying Battery" has always been distinguished by its powerful artillery weapons, which no other aircraft have dreamed of. The AC-130J Ghostrider carries a 105mm cannon and a 30mm GAU-23 / A automatic cannon. The latter is a modernized aviation version of the common 30 mm Mk. 44 Bushmaster II, which is widely represented on various armored vehicles. The maximum rate of fire of the GAU-23 / A is up to 200 rounds per minute. According to the American military, the accuracy of the 30-mm cannon is completely satisfactory to them. Its 30x173 mm projectiles have sufficient power, and the gun itself is comparable to a large-caliber sniper weapon, which can ensure the destruction of a target from the very first shot.
But the 105-mm gun on airplanes has long remained unchanged - it is the same M102 light field howitzer, specially adapted for the possibility of firing from an AC-130 aircraft. The maximum rate of fire of the gun is 10 rounds per minute. On airplanes, this cannon is kept for the simple reason that the cost of a 105-mm projectile is much cheaper for taxpayers than the cost of guided missiles or guided aerial bombs.
At the same time, the combat capabilities of the AC-130J Ghostrider aircraft are not limited only to artillery weapons. The arsenal of weapons was supplemented by modern high-precision guided munitions. So, under the wing of the aircraft, you can hang small-diameter bombs GBU-39, and also use AGG-176 Griffin missiles with a laser homing head from the aircraft. The GBU-39 high-precision guided bomb has a mass of 130 kg and a maximum flight range of 110 km (when derailing at an altitude of about 10 km). The ammunition is distinguished by a large amount of explosives, the mass of an explosive in a high-explosive-penetrating design is 93 kg. The missiles are launched from the rear ramp, essentially directly through the rear cargo door of the aircraft. On the AC-130J Ghostrider, air-to-surface missiles are launched from a 10-tube Gunslinger launcher. The mass of one Griffin missile is 20 kg, the mass of the warhead is 5, 9 kg, and the maximum flight range is up to 20 km.
