The gunship was equipped with a 25-millimeter Gatling gun, 40-millimeter Bofors cannon, and was the last gunship armed with a 105-millimeter howitzer operating in the direct fire role. The third-generation gunships first entered service in 1995 and flew combat missions over Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and against the Islamic State.
The AC-130A Gunship II superseded the AC-47 Gunship I during the Vietnam War. The basic airframe is manufactured by Lockheed, while Boeing is responsible for the conversion into a gunship and for aircraft support. The AC-130U “Spooky” gunship was one of the most important aircraft of the post-Cold War period. The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed ground-attack aircraft variant of the C-130 Hercules transport plane. Another of the heavily armed transport planes, “Big Daddy,” earned a coveted black letter for excellence and a spot at the Hurlburt Field outdoor museum. The gunship, named “Gunslinger,” was sent to the Arizona desert for what is likely a one-way trip. Air Force has sent the last AC-130U “Spooky” gunship to the Boneyard, capping a career spanning three decades. “Big Daddy” is also the first AC-130 to receive a “black letter,” signifying zero discrepancies before flight. The last AC-130U gunship, “Spooky,” flew off to retirement on June 26, 2020.Ī second -U model, “Big Daddy,” will go to an outdoor Air Force special operations museum in Florida.
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