Special Forces Gunship Enters Fighting

AP via Yahoo! News ^ | Tuesday October 16 7:40 AM ET | KATHY GANNON

[Frumanchu]

Mmmmmm....A-10.....

[Drew68]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe that these two pictures are photos of the 20mm "Vulcan" gatling gun. Notice the magazine on the first picture!

Cheers!

[ScreamingFist]

"Just now on Fox News, we were told the gunship "can fire 1800 rounds per minute." This is actually the rate of fire of one of the two 20mm Gatling gun cannons. It does not mention the 40mm Bofors, nor the 105mm cannon that can fire 6 - 10 high explosive shells per minute"

You picked that up too, LOL. Actually, the GE M61/A1 20mm Vulcan fires 6000 rounds per minute, as set up on the F-16. The F-16 will fire it's entire ammo load (510 rounds) in 5 seconds if the trigger is depressed and held. Having had the pleasure of knowing a couple 130 gunship air crew members, I can tell you that in the Vietnam era, they would be standing knee deep in shell casings at the end of a fire mission. Have a nice day, taliban clmers.

[ScreamingFist]

"but I do believe that these two pictures are photos of the 20mm "Vulcan" gatling gun"

You are correct, this is the General Electric M61/A1 Vulcan cannon. The top photo also shows a 510 round ammo drum, although the ammo guide chute is not a configuration I'm familiar with.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Point-blank, direct-fire with a 105 howitzer....a very scary thing.

[FresnoDA]

[xorch]

Thanks for those pics. #14 helps visualize Hell on earth.

If it wasn't already mentioned, the guns are automatically aimed (at a center point) as the aircraft flys a 360 degree circle.

[ScreamingFist]

After looking at your top photo in a little more detail, I belive that it is the nose mount configuration of the M61/A1 for the F-18. Also an easy way to tell the difference between the 20mm and 30mm Gatlin weapons, 20mm=6 barrels, 30mm=7 barrels. That and the 20mm looks like a pop gun compared to the 30mm, the 30mm is truly artillery.

[spectr17]

Pic of a AC-130 Spectre gunship hosing down some bad guys on a little vacation isle known as Grenada, October 1983. If you remember the video from the Grenada invasion, the buildings with all the neat little holes in them were from the AC-130s.

Pic of Puff, AC-47 gunship from Vietnam.

Pic of Puff's mini guns.

Crest of the 16th SOW, Hurlburt Field Fl., some of the brave men who fly the gunships.

Nose art on a AC-130U

Crest of the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command.

16th SOW

AC-130 Gunship Info and pics

[TheRealLobo]

More pics HERE

[TheRealLobo]

The older model (AC-130H) had two 20mm Gatling guns firing (i think) 1500 rds per minute (each) slowed down from 4000/6000 rds per minute (when used)on fighters. The newer model AC-130U has a 25mm Gatling gun replacing the two 20's. (They both also have a 40mm Bofors and a 105 Howitzer).

[TheRealLobo]

The "official" name for them is "Spectre". I've heard them called Spooky before too though. Either one is fairly descriptive. :)

[TheRealLobo]

I didn't realize that they had changed the designation on them. I did read that they put the 25mm in so they can do it from a higher altitude.

[jimt]

Actually, the GE M61/A1 20mm Vulcan fires 6000 rounds per minute... It was set up that way when used as a self-propelled air defense weapon was well.

One of the most impressive sights I ever experienced was watching a Vulcan pour fire into junk vehicles at Fort Bliss from a distance of about a mile and a half. Those 20 mm rounds are about 6" long, and even with every fifth round a tracer, it looked like a ray gun, solid red. The sound can only be compared to a double A fuel dragster at full throttle. It looked like someone was standing inside the vehicle heaving buckets of brass out as fast as they could. As the rounds they were shooting that night were HE, the effects on the junk vehicles were very impressive. What was left were pieces small enough to put in your pocket. All in the matter of a very few minutes.

[TheRealLobo]

The top one (of the chute) looks like it MIGHT have come from an F-15. I may be wrong, but that's about the fig' they had (and it's been 20 years for me).

[ScreamingFist]

Excellent pics S17, and your handle suggests that you might have a considerable knowledge of gunships, share if you can.

[ScreamingFist]

"The top one (of the chute) looks like it MIGHT have come from an F-15"

Yea, I'm guessing too. I'm familiar with the F-16, gun is mounted on the left upper strake with the drum in the center and the ammo feed on the underside of the right strake. I'm sure a Navy FReeper will be along shortly to confirm or deny or guesses :)

[spectr17]

If you would like to read more about USAF Special Operations and Air Commandos and their history, Orr Kelly had a good book out by the name "From A Dark Sky. From a Dark Sky

Other good books on USAF Air commandos and special operations

U.S. Air Force Special Ops (Power Series) by Fred J. Pushies

Air Commando : Fifty Years of the Usaf Air Commando and Special Operations Forces, 1944-1994 by Philip D. Chinnery, Harry C. Aderholt

[ScreamingFist]

or=our, darn I need to quit drinking beer when posting. Or not.

[b fair]

As I remember after the Duke told him where to put the Puff pilot replied.
"It'll only take a minute."