Was the AC-130 gunship used in Vietnam?

They were used in Vietnam from 1962-1970. Beginning in 1965, the C-130 Hercules with its four turbo-prop engines, superior 15-ton payload, and its ability to rapidly offload palletized cargo dominated airlift operations in Vietnam. As ground combat increased, so did airlift requirements.

Does the C-130 Hercules have weapons?

The AC-130 is armed with a fearsome array of weaponry, including a 105 mm cannon and 25 or 40 mm gatling guns. The AC-130U employs a synthetic aperture strike radar for long-range and adverse weather target detection and identification.

How many C-130 gunships are there?

The type was adopted by the US Air Force (USAF) in 1968. It replaced the previous Douglas AC-47 Spooky gunship. A total of 47 of AC-130 gunships, including variants, were converted from C-130 transports. In 2018 the type will be operational for 50 years.

What gunship was used in Vietnam?

Huey Gunship The first gunships were Bell UH-1 Hueys retrofitted with extra armor plating, machine guns, and rocket launchers. These gunships were used throughout the war.

Does the US Navy have C-130?

The legacy C/KC-130T Hercules is a medium-sized multi-role, multi-mission transport aircraft supporting U.S. Navy operations world-wide. Naval Reserve C/KC-130T aircraft fulfill the Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift mission to provide the last logistic mile in support operations to forward deployed Naval Forces.

What was a slick in Vietnam?

Slick was the name for the transport version of the Huey, dust-off was the official call sign for medical choppers, and gunships are pretty self-explanatory. Modern versions of the Huey are still being used today!

Were Black Hawks used in Vietnam?

The result was the now-iconic UH-60 “Black Hawk” helicopter. The American involvement in Vietnam was the first large-scale use of helicopters to move troops and equipment on the battlefield.

What plane replaced C-130?

The C-130 fleet of around 450 planes would be replaced by only 250 aircraft. The Air Force had attempted to replace the C-130 in the 1970s through the Advanced Medium STOL Transport project, which resulted in the C-17 Globemaster III that instead replaced the C-141 Starlifter.

How many C-130 does the Navy have?

Only 10 of the 43 C-130s in the fleet are currently available for operations, according to Greg Kuntz, a spokesman for Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR.

How many C-130 Hercules does Canada have?

12
Current aircraft

How many C-130 gunships were shot down?

More than 15 percent of the approximately 2,350 Lockheed C-130 Hercules production hulls have been lost, including 70 by the US Air Force and the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War.

What happened to the C-130 in Vietnam?

The C-130E attempted to airdrop ammunition to surrounded South Vietnamese forces at An Loc, Vietnam. Approaching the drop zone, Spare 617 received heavy enemy ground fire that damaged two engines, ruptured a bleed air duct in the cargo compartment, and set the ammunition on fire.

What kind of aircraft is a C-130 Hercules?

Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin ). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medevac, and cargo transport aircraft.

How many AC-130 Hercules have been built?

C-130 Hercules Primary users United States Air Force Royal Canadian A Produced 1954–present Number built Over 2,500 as of 2015 Variants Lockheed AC-130 Lockheed DC-130 Lockheed

When was the first C-130 made?

After the two prototypes were completed, production began in Marietta, Georgia, where over 2,300 C-130s have been built through 2009. The initial production model, the C-130A, was powered by Allison T56 -A-9 turboprops with three-blade propellers and originally equipped with the blunt nose of the prototypes.