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      • Chris Hobson
      • Dave Lovelady
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    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
    • 1966: Rolling Thunder Gets into its Stride
    • 1967: Rolling Thunder - The Peak Year
    • 1968: Tet, Khe Sanh, and the End of Rolling Thunder
    • 1969: Interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
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    • 1971: A Much Reduced Presence
    • 1972: The Spring Invasion/Linebacker Campaigns
    • 1973: Winding Up the War
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The AC-130 Spectre Gunship (May 1969)

The limitations of the AC-47 as a gunship became apparent soon after the type’s introduction to combat.  However, the gunship concept was so promising that work on a successor system started and a number of types were considered.  Eventually the C-130 Hercules was selected for a variety of reasons including its better performance, longer endurance, ability to carry more and heavier weapons and better avionics.  Known as the Gunship II programme, the first AC-130A test aircraft arrived at Nha Trang on 21 September 1967 for a 10-week operational trial over Laos and South Vietnam.  The aircraft returned to Nha Trang in February 1968 after a brief refurbishment in the USA and continued operational trials until December.  A host of technical and supply problems constantly delayed the delivery of further AC-130s but eventually enough aircraft arrived in Southeast Asia to form a squadron.  The 16th SOS was activated at Ubon under the 8th TFW on 30 October 1968 using the original test crews and aircraft as a nucleus.  The AC-130A programme was code-named Pave Pronto but the aircraft was more commonly known as Spectre after the Squadron’s radio call sign.  Four more AC-130s had arrived at Ubon by the end of 1968 allowing the prototype, 54-1626, to return to the USA for refurbishment.

From December 1968 many Spectre missions were flown with F-4 escorts provided by the Night Owls of the 497th TFS.  Each gunship sortie would be accompanied by up to three F-4s, which cycled to and from tankers to provide a continuous presence to increase the firepower available and to help protect the AC-130 from ground attack.  Late in 1969 modified AC-130s under the code name Surprise Package began to arrive at Ubon.  These aircraft had improved armament including 20mm Gatling guns and 40mm Bofors cannon and a Paveway I laser designator.

 

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© Chris Hobson and David Lovelady. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
      • Chris Hobson
      • Dave Lovelady
    • About the Book
    • About the Data
    • About this Site
  • Sidelines
    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
    • 1966: Rolling Thunder Gets into its Stride
    • 1967: Rolling Thunder - The Peak Year
    • 1968: Tet, Khe Sanh, and the End of Rolling Thunder
    • 1969: Interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
    • 1970: The Year of Withdrawal
    • 1971: A Much Reduced Presence
    • 1972: The Spring Invasion/Linebacker Campaigns
    • 1973: Winding Up the War
  • Statistics
    • Loss Statistics
    • Losses Due to Air Base Attacks
    • Losses Due to Accidents on the Ground or Aboard Ship
    • US Air Force Loss Statistics
    • US Navy Loss Statistics
    • US Marine Corps Loss Statistics
  • Details
    • Order of Battle
    • Index of Names
    • Abbreviations and Glossary of Operations, Code Names, and Projects
    • Bibliography
  • Searching the Database
    • Hints on How to Search
    • Notes and Caveats
    • Search Forms
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contact Us
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