By accumulating and developing experience in waging local wars, the US Air Force command by the beginning of the 60s paid serious attention to the low effectiveness of traditional tactics of using aviation, especially when operating against ground targets in small armed clashes and conducting counter-guerrilla operations. Studies of such combat missions also revealed the complete inconsistency of the jet attack aircraft in service, primarily fighter-bombers. For "special operations" a special aircraft was required. However, there was no time to develop it - the rapid escalation of American participation in the Vietnam conflict required the adoption of emergency measures.
One such measure was the concept of "ganship", developed in 1964 on the basis of proactive research by specialists from the Bell Aerosystems Company, Flexman and MacDonald. Developing ideas that originated in the 1920s, they proposed an aircraft, the tactics of which were very reminiscent of the tactics of the battle of sailing ships of the past, and the similar arrangement of firing points in a row along the sides gave the name to the program - Gunship (gun ship).
In August 1964. at Eglin AFB (Florida), under the leadership of Captain Terry, the C-131 transport aircraft was retrofitted. A machine-gun container was installed in the opening of the cargo door on the left side, usually located on the underwing pylons of attack aircraft and helicopters. It housed a 7, 62-mm six-barreled machine gun M134 / GAU-2B / AMinigun with a rate of fire of 3000-6000 rds / min and an ammunition capacity of 1500 rounds. A simple collimator sight was mounted in the cockpit, with the help of which the pilot could fire at a target located away from the flight path.
Aiming was carried out through the side window of the cockpit. Such an unusual placement of weapons made it possible to effectively use the aircraft both for hitting area and point targets, and for such specific tasks of "counter-guerrilla warfare" as patrolling roads, protecting and defending bases and strong points. The pilot took the plane into a turn in such a way that he focused the fire on the point on the ground around which he circled. As a result, a powerful and prolonged barrage of machine-gun fire was achieved against a ground target. Having received official support, Captain Terry with a group of specialists in October 1964 went to South Vietnam to the Bien Hoa airbase, where, together with the personnel of 1 Air Commando Squadron, he converted the well-known C-47 Dakota transport aircraft into a "gunship" (in the USSR it was produced as Lee -2) for testing in battle. Previously, this machine was used as a postal and transport vehicle in Nha Trang. On the port side, 3 SUU-11A / A containers were installed: two - in the windows, the third - in the opening of the cargo door. A Mark 20 Mod.4 collimator sight from the A-1E Skyraider attack aircraft was mounted in the cockpit and additional radio communications were installed.
In one of the first sorties, AC-47D thwarted an attempt by the Viet Cong to assault a stronghold of government forces in the Mekong Delta at night. The fiery shower of tracer bullets against the background of the night sky made an unforgettable impression on both warring parties. In utter delight, the 1st ACS commander exclaimed, "Puff, The Magic Dragon!" ("Spew the flames, magic dragon!"). Soon, the first AC-47D featured an image of a dragon and the signature "Puff". The poetic Vietnamese were strikingly unanimous with the Americans: in the captured Viet Cong documents, this plane was also called the "Dragon".
Such a successful debut finally convinced the Americans of the viability and effectiveness of such aircraft. In the spring of 1965, another Dakota was converted into a gunship, and Air International (Miami) received an order for urgent revisions of 20 C-47s to the AC-47D variant. another four former Da Nang postal cargo aircraft were refitted at Clark AFB in the Philippines. The gunship divisions suffered some of the heaviest casualties among American aircraft in Vietnam. This is not surprising: most of the AC-47D flights were carried out at night, without having practically any special equipment, which in the difficult conditions of the Vietnamese climate and terrain is already dangerous in itself. Most of the gunships were older than their young pilots, who also had very little flight time on piston-engine aircraft. The short range of the weapon forced the crews to work from altitudes of no more than 1000 m, which made the aircraft vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire.
The AC-47D was usually used in conjunction with other aircraft: the A-1E and O-2 reconnaissance and spotting aircraft, the C-123 Moonshine illumination aircraft. When patrolling rivers and canals in the Mekong Delta, the multipurpose OV-10A Bronco often appeared next to the gunships. Spooky would often direct its own B-57 fighters or bombers.
At the beginning of 1966. AC-47D began to be attracted for flights in the area of the Ho Chi Minh trail. because the capabilities of the "ganships" were the best suited to deal with the traffic on it. But the rapid loss of six AC-47Ds from anti-aircraft fire from large-caliber machine guns, 37- and 57-mm cannons, which were in abundance in the area, forced them to abandon their use over the "path". In 1967, the 7th US Air Force in Vietnam had two full squadrons armed with AC-47Ds. Until 1969, with their help, it was possible to hold more than 6,000 "strategic villages", strongholds and firing positions. But the Americans switched to more advanced versions of "gunships", and the hopelessly outdated Spooky was handed over to the allies. They ended up in the Air Forces of South Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand. The last AC-47s ended their careers in El Salvador in the early 90s.
The success of the AC-47D led to a sharp increase in interest in "gunship" and the emergence of many projects of this class of aircraft. Fairchild is based on the C-119G Flying Boxcar twin-engine transport aircraft. It was made on a two-beam scheme, had a slightly larger size than the C-47, and was equipped with significantly more powerful 3500 hp piston engines. The latter allowed him to fly at a speed higher than that of the C-47 (up to 400 km / h) and take up to 13 tons of payload.
For modernization, the aircraft came from parts of the Air Force reserve. Although the armament of the AC-119G consisted of the same four SUU-11 machine-gun containers firing through the portholes, its equipment has become significantly improved. It was equipped with a night vision surveillance system, a powerful 20 kW searchlight, a fire control computer, electronic warfare equipment, which contributed to a more effective use of the aircraft in the dark and reduced the likelihood of erroneous firing at its troops (which AC-47D often sinned).
The crew was protected by ceramic armor. In general, according to American estimates, the new aircraft turned out to be about 25% more efficient than the AC-47D. The first AC-119Gs arrived in May 1968 (100 days after the contract was signed). Since November, the squadron has been fighting from the Nya Trang airbase.
The next series of 26 AC-119K aircraft entered service in the fall of 1969. On them, in contrast to the AC-119G, in addition to piston engines, two turbojet engines with a thrust of 1293 kgf each were installed on the pylons under the wing.
This revision made it easier to operate in hot climates, especially from mountain airfields. The composition of equipment and weapons has changed significantly.
The new "gunship" received a navigation system, an IR survey station, a side-looking radar, and a search radar. To the four "Miniguns" that fired through the portholes, two rapid-fire six-barreled 20 mm M-61 Vulcan cannons were added, installed in special embrasures. And if the AC-47 and AC-119G aircraft could effectively hit targets from a range of no more than 1000 m, then the AC-119K, thanks to the presence of guns, could operate from a distance of 1400 m and heights of 975 m with a roll of 45 ° or 1280 m with a roll of 60 ° … This allowed him not to enter the effective engagement zone with large-caliber machine guns and small arms.
November 3, 1969 the first AC-119K entered service, and ten days later performed the first combat mission to support the infantry defending a strong point near Da Nang. Since the M-61 cannons were unofficially nicknamed Stinger (sting), the AC-119K received the same name, which was adopted by the crews as a radio call sign. The AC-119 variants have been used in different ways. If the AC-119G was used for night and day support of troops, base defense, night target designation, armed reconnaissance and target illumination, then the AC-119K was specially developed and used as a "truck hunter" on the "Ho Chi Minh trail." The impact of shells from his 20-mm cannons disabled most of the types of vehicles used. Therefore, some AC-119K crews often abandoned ammunition for 7.62 mm machine guns in favor of an additional number of 20 mm shells.
By September 1970. on the AC-119K's account there were 2206 destroyed trucks, and the best praise for the pilots of the AC-119G could be the words of one of the leading aircraft controllers: "To hell with the F-4, give me a gunship!" AC-119. famous also
the fact that it was the last aircraft shot down in Vietnam.
Returning from Vietnam to the United States after the brilliant success of the AC-47D Gunship I program, Captain Terry continued to work on perfecting the Gunship concept. Since the AC-47D had very limited capabilities, and the Air Force demanded an aircraft with more powerful weapons, high speed, increased flight range and significantly better equipment, the four-engine C-130 Hercules transport was chosen as the base one. On its basis, the most powerful of the "gunships" was created - the AC-130 Gunship II.
One of the first C-130A was converted for testing.
The aircraft received four MXU-470 machine-gun modules and four 20-mm M-61 Vulcan cannons in special embrasures on the left side. It was equipped with a surveillance night vision system, side-looking radar, fire control radar (the same as that of the F-104J Starfighter), search lights with a power of 20 kW and an on-board fire control computer.
From June to September 1967, the C-130A, dubbed the Vulcan Express, was tested over the Eglin air base. On September 20, he arrived at Nya Trang and a week later, made the first combat mission. It must be said that the command of the American troops in Vietnam looked rather one-sidedly at the principles of the use of "gunships", seeing in them only troop support aircraft and not noticing the increased capabilities of the C-130A. But the crew thought differently. On November 9, 1967, he managed to obtain permission to "free hunt" over the "trail" in Laos, and he did not miss his chance. With the help of a night vision system, a convoy of 6 trucks moving south was detected and destroyed in 16 minutes.
The new aircraft, named AC-130A, had the same armament as the prototype, only the equipment changed: they received a new IR surveillance station, a fire control computer and target designation radar. The experience of the combat use of AC-130A aircraft led to the replacement in 1969 of two 20-mm M-61 cannons with semi-automatic 40-mm Bofors M2A1 cannons, which made it possible to hit targets when flying with a 45 ° roll from an altitude of 4200 m at a distance of 6000 m. and with a roll of 65 ° - from an altitude of 5400 m at a distance of 7200 m.
In addition, the aircraft was installed: low-altitude TV-system, side-looking radar, laser rangefinder-target designator and some other systems. In this form, the aircraft became known as the AC-130A Surprise Package. He practically could not enter the air defense zone of the enemy, armed not only with machine guns, but also with small-caliber anti-aircraft guns.
In 1971, the US Air Force entered service with even more advanced AC-130E Pave Specter aircraft, created on the basis of the C-130E (a total of 11 pieces). Their armament and equipment first matched the AC-130A Pave Pronto: two Miniguns, two Volcanoes and two Bofors. However, during this period, the North Vietnamese used a large number of tanks (according to American estimates, more than 600 units), and to combat them, the AC-130E had to be urgently re-equipped. Instead of one 40-mm cannon, a 105-mm infantry howitzer from the Second World War (shortened, lightweight and on a special gun carriage) was installed on it connected to an onboard computer, but manually loaded.
The first such AC-130E arrived at Ubon airbase on February 17, 1972. The gunships used their main caliber very rarely, since there were not so many targets for it. But the "Volcanoes" and "Bofors" worked effectively, especially on the "path". So, on the night of February 25, 1972, one of the AC-130E destroyed 5 trucks, and damaged 6.
In March 1973. appeared the last of the "gunship" - AC-130H Pave Specter, distinguished by more powerful engines and completely new onboard equipment. And since 1972, the Viet Cong began the massive use of Soviet portable air defense systems "Strela-2", making any flight at low altitude unsafe. One AC-130, having received a missile hit on May 12, 1972, was able to return to base, but two others were shot down. To reduce the likelihood of hitting missiles with infrared homing heads, many AC-130s were equipped with refrigerators - ejectors that reduced the temperature of the exhaust gases. For jamming the air defense radar on the AC-130, since 1969, they began to install the ALQ-87 electronic warfare suspended containers (4 pcs.). But against Strel, these measures were ineffective. The combat activity of the "Hanships" significantly decreased, but they were used until the last hours of the war in Southeast Asia.
After Vietnam, the AC-130 aircraft were left without work for a long time, interrupting their idle time in October 1983 during the US invasion of Grenada. The crews of the gunships suppressed several batteries of small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery in Grenada, and also provided fire cover for the landing of the paratroopers. The next operation with their participation was the "Just Cause" - the US invasion of Panama. In this operation, the AC-130 targets were Rio Hato and Paitilla airbases, Torrigos / Tosamen airport and Balboa port, as well as a number of separate military facilities. The fighting did not last long - from December 20, 1989 to January 7, 1990.
The US military called this operation specially designed for gunships. The almost complete absence of air defense and a very limited area of conflict made the AC-130 the kings of the air. For the aircrews, the war turned into training flights with gunfire. In Panama, the AS-130 crews worked out their classic tactics: 2 aircraft entered a bend in such a way that at a certain point in time they were at 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, the planes flew in the daytime.
During Desert Storm, 4 AC-130N aircraft from the 4th Squadron made 50 sorties, the total flight time exceeded 280 hours. The main goal of the gunships was to destroy the Scud ballistic missile launchers and early warning radar for air targets, but they did not cope with either one or the other. During the operation, it turned out that in the desert, in the heat and the air saturated with sand and dust, the infrared systems of the aircraft were absolutely useless. Moreover, one AS-130N was shot down by an Iraqi air defense system while covering the ground forces in the battle for Al-Khafi, and the entire crew of the aircraft was killed. This loss confirmed the truth known since the days of Vietnam - in areas saturated with air defense systems, such aircraft have nothing to do.
Aircraft of various modifications of the AC-130 continue to be in service with units of the US Air Force Special Operations Directorate. Moreover, as the old ones are written off, new ones are ordered based on the modern version of the C-130.
The AC-130U Spectrum aircraft was developed by Rockwell International under a 1987 contract with the US Air Force. It differs from previous modifications in increased combat capabilities due to more advanced electronic equipment and weapons. In total, by the beginning of 1993, 12 AC-130U aircraft were delivered, which will replace the AC-130N in the regular air force. Like previous modifications, the AC-130U was created by re-equipping the C-130H Hercules military transport aircraft. The armament of the AC-130U includes a five-barreled 25-mm cannon (3,000 rounds of ammunition, 6,000 rounds per minute), a 40-mm cannon (256 rounds) and a 105-mm (98 rounds). All guns are mobile, so the pilot does not need to strictly maintain the trajectory of the aircraft to ensure the required firing accuracy. At the same time, it is noted that, despite the large mass of the 25-mm cannon itself (compared to the 20-mm Vulcan cannon) and its ammunition, it provides an increased muzzle velocity, thereby increasing the range and accuracy of fire.
The aircraft's radio-electronic equipment includes:
- Multifunctional radar AN / APG-70 (a modified version of the radar of the F-15 fighter), operating in the modes of terrain mapping, detection and tracking of moving targets, work with a radio beacon and weather reconnaissance, as well as used to solve navigation problems. The high resolution of the radar when surveying the earth's surface is achieved by using a synthesized antenna aperture located on the left side of the aircraft nose.
- Forward-looking infrared station.
- A television system operating at low lighting levels.
- Opto-electronic indicator of the pilot with display of the situation against the background of the windshield.
- Electronic warfare equipment, a system for warning the aircraft crew about launching missiles at it, ejectors of anti-radar reflectors and IR traps.
- Inertial navigation system.
- Equipment of the satellite navigation system NAVSTAR.
It is believed that such a set of sighting, navigation and electronic equipment will significantly increase the combat capabilities of the AC-130U, including when it performs combat missions in adverse weather conditions and at night.
The AC-130U aircraft is equipped with air refueling and built-in control systems, as well as removable armor protection, which is installed in preparation for highly dangerous missions. According to American experts, through the use of promising high-strength composite materials based on boron and carbon fibers, as well as through the use of Kevlar, the weight of the armor can be reduced by about 900 kg (compared to metal armor).
To ensure good performance of the crew members during a long flight, there are rest areas in the soundproofed compartment behind the cockpit.
As the early versions of the AC-130 are written off, new ones are ordered based on the most modern version of the C-130J with an extended cargo compartment.
The US Air Force Special Operations Command plans to double the number of heavily armed AC-130J aircraft based on the C-130J Super Hercules transports. According to Jane's, the Air Force initially planned to convert 16 MC-130J Commando II special planes into AC-130J. Now the number of AC-130Js is planned to be increased to 37 units.
Another armed aircraft based on the Hercules is the MC-130W Combat Spear. Four squadrons, armed with MC-130 aircraft, are used for deep raids into the depths of enemy territory in order to deliver or receive people and cargo during special operations. Depending on the task being performed, a 30 mm can be installed on it. the Bushmaster cannon and the Hellfire missiles.
In total, the Air Force plans to buy 131 new HC / MC-130 special aircraft: 37 HC-130J Combat King II, 57 MC-130J and 37 AC-130J, according to Jane's. Currently, contracts have been signed for the construction of 11 HC-130J and 20 MC-130J aircraft.
The story of the "counterinsurgency Gunships" would be incomplete without mentioning the smallest aircraft of this class: Fairchild AU-23A and Hello AU-24A. The first was a modification of the famous Pilatus Turbo-Porter single-engine transport aircraft, commissioned by the Thai government (a total of 17 such machines were built).
The aircraft was armed with one three-barreled 20-mm cannon.
NURS blocks, bombs and fuel tanks were suspended under the wing.
The main weapon of these light vehicles was a three-barreled 20 mm cannon.
The second represented exactly the same rework, carried out on the basis of the Hello U-10A aircraft.
15 of these aircraft were transferred to the Cambodian government, flew intensively and took part in battles.
In addition to the United States, work on armed aircraft of this type is being carried out in other countries.
An Italian MC-27J demonstration aircraft was shown at the Farnborough Air Show. It is based on the military transport aircraft C-27J Spartan.
Joint development of the Italian "Alenia Aermacchi" and the American "ATK". ATK is responsible for the design, creation and integration of the artillery armament unit. She already has experience in installing and integrating such weapons - earlier the company, according to the contract, modernized two CN235 aircraft of the Italian Air Force for transfer to the Jordanian Air Force. The development is carried out under the program for the creation of inexpensive multipurpose aircraft carrying fast-mounted weapons, made in containers. The main caliber of such weapons is 30mm. The ATK GAU-23 automatic gun, which is a variation of the ATK Mk 44 Bushmaster gun, was demonstrated at the air show.
The weapon complex is installed on a cargo pallet. This system is installed in the cargo compartment. The fire is conducted from the cargo door on the port side. The total installation / removal time of the rapid-fire system does not exceed 4 hours. From the rest of the equipment, it is known about the presence on board of a round-the-clock electro-optical search / sighting equipment, a self-defense complex. In the short term - the installation of guided weapons on wing suspensions.
In the PRC was built "Ganship", based on the Chinese version of the An-12.
Unfortunately, neither the caliber nor the characteristics of the weapons were disclosed.
Probably, an aircraft of this type could be in demand as part of the Russian Air Force. Especially considering the "anti-terrorist" operation in the Caucasus that has not stopped for many years. Today, for airstrikes against militants, mainly Mi-8, Mi-24 helicopters and Su-25 attack aircraft are used, using mostly unguided weapons.
But neither one nor the other is capable of being on duty in the air for a long time and is not equipped with modern search engines. Allowing, to act effectively in mountainous and wooded areas and in the dark. The most optimal, I think, is the platform based on the An-72.
Moreover, on the basis of this aircraft there is already a variant of the An-72P, created for border troops and carrying weapons.
The main armament could be a low-impulse 100-mm cannon 2A70 BMP-3, with an automatic loader and the ability to fire guided ammunition. Small caliber, automatic 30mm cannon, variable rate of fire 2A72.
