AC-130U Spooky/Spectre Gunship

14sep04

Today’s AC-130U Gunship is more lethal than its predecessors, due to the addition of a GAU-12, 25 mm Gatling gun Firing at 1,800 shots per minute and mounted on a fully trainable gun mount, the GAU-12 provides twice the lethality of its former 20 mm cannons, a longer stand-off range and greater accuracy. The operator can select from a series of burst lengths to tailor effectiveness of the GAU-12 for each target due to a fully automated ammunition handling system, capable of carrying 3,000 rounds. The gunship also carries both a 40 mm Bofors cannon, capable of up to 100 shots per minute, and a 105 mm howitzer that can be fired six times a minute. To maximize accuracy, both large guns also are installed on trainable gun mounts. The AC-130U has a dual-target attack capability that allows it to attack simultaneously two targets located up to a kilometer apart. Its fire control system enables the AC-130U to destroy targets more quickly, expediting air-to-ground mission objectives while decreasing threat exposure time, which enhances aircraft survivability.

Low res: http://www.military.com/ContentFiles/Movies/AC130_small.wmv 14sep04
Hi res: http://www.nata2.info/war/AC-130U_gunship_video_lo.wmv 14sep04

AC-130U Spooky Weapons
One 25mm GAU-12 Gatling Equaliser gun (1,800 rounds per minute)
One L60 40mm Bofors cannon (100 shots per minute)
One M102 105mm cannon (6-10 rounds per minute) 

AC-130U Spooky Countermeasures
AN/AAQ-24 Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM)
AN/AAR-44 Infrared Warning Receiver
AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning System
AN/ALE-47 Flare and Chaff Dispensing System
AN/ALQ-172 Electronic Countermeasure System
AN/ALQ-196 Jammer
AN/ALR-69 Radar Warning Receiver
AN/APR-46A Panoramic RF Receiver
QRC-84-02 Infrared Countermeasures System 

There are 13 AC-130U aircraft in the USAF inventory and they are currently assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).

source: http://www.hk94.com/weblog/index.php?p=62&c=1  14sep04

From Boeing Website

AC-130U Gunship 
Under a contract awarded in 1987, Boeing manufactures and supports the AC-130U Gunship aircraft for the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command. The AC-130U represents a major advancement over previous generation gunships. Existing C-130 airframes receive the latest sensor technologies and fire control systems that, together, substantially increase the gunship's combat effectiveness. The AC-130U features increased weapon stand-off range, improved first-shot accuracy, and a state-of-the-art suite of electronic and infrared countermeasures that greatly enhance the AC-130U's survivability against modern threats. The AC-130U design also incorporates features to enhance maintainability and supportability. 

Sensor Suite 
The most significant changes in the AC-130U Gunship are enhancements and expansions to its sensor suite. Both the All Light Level Television and the Infrared Detection System can scan a full 360 degrees, allowing the gunship crew to search for and find targets much faster. The target detection and recognition ranges of both sensors are nearly double those of previous gunships. The television also incorporates a laser target designator and rangefinder that allows the AC-130U to designate targets for other aircraft armed with smart, laser-guided weapons. The gunship's target detection capability makes it a highly effective force multiplier. The AC-130U incorporates Night Vision Imaging System, with compatible lighting throughout to support use of night vision equipment by its crew. 

Radar System 
The AC-130U features Hughes APG-180 fire control radar system, derived from the system on F-15E Eagle aircraft. The APG-180 system is integrated with the gunship's fire control system. This enables the radar not only to locate and track targets but also to track rounds from the gunships 40 mm and 105 mm guns and to adjust fire automatically. As a result, the AC-130U gunship is an all-weather, precision attack aircraft – the only one of its kind. 

Navigation System 
The AC-130U Gunship integrates ring-laser gyro technology with precision locater capabilities of the Global Positioning Satellite, or GPS system. This provides the aircraft with its exact position and the precise location of any target detected by its sensors, reducing workload, speeding up target location and improving the precision of targeting information for other friendly forces. 

Fire Control System 
Today's AC-130U Gunship is more lethal than its predecessors, due to the addition of a GAU-12, 25 mm Gatling gun (similar to those on AV-8B Harrier aircraft). Firing at 1,800 shots per minute and mounted on a fully trainable gun mount, the GAU-12 provides twice the lethality of its former 20 mm cannons, a longer stand-off range and greater accuracy. The operator can select from a series of burst lengths to tailor effectiveness of the GAU-12 for each target due to a fully automated ammunition handling system, capable of carrying 3,000 rounds. The gunship also carries both a 40 mm Bofors cannon, capable of up to 100 shots per minute, and a 105 mm howitzer that can be fired six times a minute. To maximize accuracy, both large guns also are installed on trainable gun mounts. The AC-130U has a dual-target attack capability that allows it to attack simultaneously two targets located up to a kilometer apart. Its fire control system enables the AC-130U to destroy targets more quickly, expediting air-to-ground mission objectives while decreasing threat exposure time, which enhances aircraft survivability. 

Countermeasures 
The AC-130U aircraft includes a complementary suite of both active and passive threat countermeasures, including the ALQ-172 Electronic Countermeasure System, to provide protection against radar-guided threats. The ALQ-172 is augmented by the ALR-56M radar warning receiver, used on the F-16 fighter. In addition, an APR-46A panoramic receiver alerts the crew to electronic emissions in the aircraft vicinity, enhancing early radar threat detection. Protection against infrared threats is provided by an AAR-44 infrared warning receiver integrated with a series of ALE-40 flare dispensers strategically placed around the aircraft. The ALE-40 also dispenses chaff to provide added protection against radar threats. The AC-130U Gunship is compatible with the newer generation ALE-47 flare and chaff dispensers. An 84-02A active infrared countermeasure system provides additional infrared missile protection. Passive countermeasures include lightweight Spectra armor to protect critical components and crew. All mission-essential avionics are dual redundant and physically separated to maintain mission capability in the event of battle damage. The AC-130U Gunship's system architecture allows the operators to reconfigure subsystems to maintain combat effectiveness in the event of component failure. 

Control Systems 
A highly integrated system of controls and displays increase operational effectiveness and enhance situational awareness. The AC-130U crew maintains full knowledge of the combat environment, system status and mission requirements to employ the gunship's weapons and sensors more quickly and effectively. Co-located in the battle-management center, the AC-130U Gunship's five-person tactical crew as well as its three-person flight deck crew, have access to a computer generated tactical situation map, TSM. The TSM provides situational awareness of the combat environment and enhances intra-crew communications. Exploiting the precision navigation and targeting capabilities of the AC-130U, the TSM displays threat locations and both friendly and enemy force positions. It also shows where the AC-130U Gunship's sensors and guns are tracking, which greatly reduces the possibility of friendly fire incidents.

Enhanced Availability 
The AC-130U Gunship is designed to avoid any single point of failure for mission critical systems, which maximizes the aircraft's availability to warfighters. While providing a two-level maintenance capability, the aircraft makes extensive use of built-in-testing of various components to develop a systems integrated test function that provides the maintainer with detailed diagnostics of AC-130U subsystems. The aircraft's fully integrated 1553 computer architecture speeds up troubleshooting and provides a means of tracking component performance throughout the life cycle of the system. 

source: http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/aerospace/modernization/ac130u.html  14sep04

DIMENSIONS: Span: 132 feet, 7 inches; Length: 97 feet, 9 inches; Height: 38 feet, 6 inches 
POWER PLANT: Four Allison T56-A-15 4,910-horsepower turboprop engines 
SPEED: 300 mph 
RANGE: Unlimited with air refueling 
CREW: 13 
CEILING: 30,000 feet 
ARMAMENT: One 25mm GAU-12 Gatling gun, one L60 40mm Bofors cannon, one M102 105mm cannon 

source: http://www.boeing.com/history/bna/ac130udata.htm 17mar2005

The AC-130U Spectre Gunship, operational in the US Air Force since March 1996, utilizes the Western Design 25mm Ammunition Storage and Handling System (ASHS). It is the worlds largest Linear Linkless Feed System, storing 3000 rounds of ammunition to feed the GAU-12/U five barrel Gatling cannon at a rate of 1800 shots per minute. Mated with Delco's Trainable Gun Mount System, it provides a firepower and lethality enhancement heretofore unknown in the Spectre series of aircraft.

ASHS represents an advancement in the state-of-the-art of ammunition handling system technology by providing high-density storage in a two-bay configuration for 3300 lbs. of ammunition within the lightweight, highly-efficient structure of linear linkless design.

ASHS is hydraulically-powered and is tied mechanically to the gun through a flexible drive shaft. System control is provided through electronic commands from a remote crew station on the Gunship.

ASHS versatility is demonstrated by its acceptance of linked or bulk ammunition during loading, its ability to download spent cases while uploading new rounds, and its capability to distinguish between live rounds and spent cases at the end of firing a burst for reverse clearing of the weapon, providing safety for both crew and gun.

source: http://www.wd.com/ac130u.htm  14sep04

AC-130U 
Lockheed AC-130U Spectre

The AC-130U is an upgraded version of the AC-130H Spectre Gunship. Originally built as a cargo plane by Lockheed, Rockwell's North American Aircraft Modification Division produced a much changed offensive weapons platform. The AC-130U "U-boat" is armed with a 25mm cannon, a 40mm cannon, and a 105mm howitzer. This is actually less weaponry than the AC-130H had (two 20mm cannon vs. one 25mm on the AC-130U). However, the main upgrades to this platform have been avionics and "platform"; allowing improved versatility and capability. For example, with the new avionics and automatic gun training, separate targets can be attacked simultaneously. The AC-130H could only attack one target at a time. Because the guns are trainable, the aircraft is able to fly a less predictable course, making it harder for AA gunners to lead the target. The 25mm cannon also has increased range: 12,000 ft verses the 20mm cannon's 9,000.

There has also been talk about arming the AC-130U with Hellfire Missiles, but I'm not sure if they have or not.

AC-130U Specifications:

Primary Function: Close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance
Contractor: Lockheed Aircraft Corp.
Power Plant: Four Allison turboprop engines T56-A-15
Thrust: Each engine 4,910 horsepower
Length: 97 feet, 9 inches (29.8 meters)
Height: 38 feet, 6 inches (11.7 meters)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 155,000 pounds (69,750 kilograms)
Wingspan: 132 feet, 7 inches (40.4 meters)
Range: 1,500 statute miles (1,300 nautical miles). Unlimited with air refueling.
Ceiling: 25,000 feet (7,576 meters)
Speed: 300 mph (Mach 0.40) (at sea level)
Unit Cost: "Unknown"
Date Deployed: April 1992
Crew: "Unknown"
Inventory: "Unknown"
Armament: 1 GAU-12/U 25mm cannon , 1 L-60 40mm Bofors cannon , and 1 M-102 105mm howitzer
Specialized Avionics/Equipment: Hughes APG-80 Fire Control Radar (adapted from the F-15E), Texas Instruments AN/AAQ-117 FLIR (for 180 degree IR scanning), Gec-Marconi ALLTV (All Active Low Light Level TV), INS/GPS navigation, ALQ-172 RF Electronic Countermeasures System, ALR-69 Radar Warning Receiver.

SERIAL NUMBERS:

Here's the serial numbers for the "U" Gunships as of 7/4/98. They are all assigned to the 4th SOS, which is an operational Gunship squadron and carrying on the proud traditions of Spooky, Stinger, Shadow and Spectre.

• 87-0128 Big Daddy: FSD Prototype, delivered to Rockwell in October 1988
• 89-0509 Total Carnage
• 89-0510 Gunslinger
• 89-0511 Predator: 1st production U-model, delivered to the USAF April 1992
• 89-0512 Dead On
• 89-0513 Killer Instincts
• 90-0163 Bad Omen
• 90-0164 Bad Intentions
• 90-0165 Midnight Medusa
• 90-0166 Hell Raiser
• 90-0167 Terminator II
• 92-0253 Eight Ball

source: http://www.afrc.af.mil/403wg/wing/Mission/C130Graph/ac130u.htm

Photos. . . . http://members.tripod.com/~a26invader/ac130u.htm

GAU-12 25mm Equaliser

The GAU-12 25MM six-barrel gun pod can be mounted on the centerline of the Marine Corp's AV-8 Harrier. It has a 300 round capacity with a lead computing optical sight system (LCOSS) gunsight. The Marines use a 25mm depleted uranium [DU] round in the GAU-12 Gatling gun on AV-8 Harriers.

The Air Force Special Operations Command AC-130U Spectre gunship gunship represents a major-advancement over the two previous generation gunships, the AC-130A and the AC-130H. Changes include enhancement and expansion of its attack sensor suite allowing the aircraft's electro-optic sensors and the All Light Level Television and Infrared Detection System to provide a full 360-degree field of vision; an APG-180 Strike Radar that will allow tracking of both fixed and moving targets through adverse weather; an adjustable GAU-12 25 mm Gatling gun and a Dual Target Attack mode which will allow the AC-130U to strike two targets simultaneously. Alliant Techsystems, Incorporated, Hopkins, Minnesota, manufactures rounds of 25 millimeter high explosive incendiary ammunition applicable to the GAU-12 autogun on the AC-130U aircraft.

In October 1983 the US Army Air Defense Board completed an evaluation of the US Army Armament Research and Development Center (ARDC) air defense gun/missile experiment known as ADGILE. The prototype of the hybrid system consisted of a 25mm GAU-12/U cannon and an engineering ATAS STINGER launcher. The experiment clearly demonstrated the feasibility of an integrated STINGER/gun hybrid system. In February 1985 The USMC evaluated their Light Armored Vehicle-Air Defense System at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida, using a 25mm GAU-12 cannon and an ATAS launcher.

The LAV-AD light armor vehicle air-defense variant features the Blazer turret, which includes a forward-looking infrared targeting sight, a laser rangefinder, and the option of employing either Stinger missiles or the rapid-fire GAU-12/U 25mm Gatling gun. Its primary mission is to provide low altitude air defense at ranges within the envelope of the Stinger Missiles and the 25mm ammunition. A secondary mission is to provide ground defense against light armored mechanized forces.

source: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/equip/gau-12.htm 17mar2005