America's New AC-130J Ghostrider Gunship is a Beast

america's new ac-130j ghost rider gunship is a beast [Music] brace yourselves the air force's newest gunship is officially on the prowl downrange the ac-130j ghost riders primary missions are close air support air interdiction and armed reconnaissance close air support missions include troops in contact convoy escort and point air defense air interdiction missions are conducted against pre-planned targets or targets of opportunity and include strike coordination and reconnaissance and overwatch mission sets the ac-130j provides ground forces an expeditionary direct fire platform that is persistent ideally suited for urban operations and delivers precision low-yield munitions against ground targets the ac-130j is the fifth generation gunship replacing the aging fleet of ac-130u and ac-130w gunships ac-130 gunships have an extensive combat history dating back to vietnam where gunships destroyed more than ten thousand trucks and were credited with many life-saving close air support missions over the past four decades ac-130s have deployed constantly to hot spots throughout the world in support of special operations and conventional forces in south america africa europe and throughout the middle east gunships have significantly contributed to mission success the u.s air force's new ac-130j ghost riders have been flying combat missions in afghanistan since june 2019. the gunships took over from ac-130u spooky that had been supporting the united states coalition special operations forces and their afghan partners in that country those spooky gunships have now returned to the united states marking the last scheduled combat deployment ever for that version of the ac-130 northwest florida daily news had been the first to report on june 28 2019 that the ac-130j had flown its first ever combat mission in afghanistan this detail had emerged during a change of command ceremony at hurlburt field in florida during which u.s air force lieutenant general james slife took charge of the air force special operations command from lieutenant general brad webb the ghost riders first combat sortie had taken place just days before according to the story we are pleased to announce the ac-130j has deployed in support of combat operations overseas u.s air force captain kevy rake an air force special operations command spokesperson the air force declared that the ac-130j had reached initial operational capability in late 2017 with the 73rd special operations squadron at hurlburt field becoming the first operational unit to fly the aircraft in 2018. the 73rd is the squadron presently flying the ghost riders over afghanistan ac-130js had previously taken part in a number of exercises in the united states and abroad the last ac-130j delivery is scheduled for the fiscal year 2024. we don't know much about the 73rd's initial deployment with the ghost rider yet but air force special operations commands ac-130s most often fly at night supporting special operations forces on the ground either providing direct close air support or armed overwatch during their operations the ghost rider gunships are in high demand in the skies of afghanistan where they provide close air support and armed overwatch to u.s and afghan operations ac-130j have already flown hundreds of sorties since beginning combat missions in june said colonel terence taylor commander of combined joint special operations air component afghanistan every night the ac-130j is flying the people they are supporting are requesting them every single night this amounts to 218 sorties and 1380 hours in the skies over afghanistan taylor said the deployment of the ac-130js and the end of scheduled combat operations for the ac-130us very much marks a shift in u.s military's gunship operations as well the spooky gunships which entered service in 1995 are the last of the air force's old-school ac-130 gunships with a five-barrel 25-millimeter gau 12-u gatling cannon a single-barrel 40 millimeter bofers cannon and a 105 millimeter howitzer is their only armament these aircraft were a direct evolution of the original vietnam war-era ac-130s by all indications the ac-130us are also the last platform of any kind in the u.s military to use the 40 millimeter bofors gun a world war ii era weapon which proved to be a deadly aerial weapon but also increasingly hard to operate and maintain the air force had found itself scouring the world for spare parts in the early 2000s and rebuilding 40 millimeter ammunition from the 1940s in recent years to keep the guns operational the ac-130j is a very different beast described by air force special operations command officials as the ultimate battle plane and a bomb truck with guns on it the ghost rider comes with the standard 105 millimeter cannon and an additional 30 millimeter gau-23a auto cannon and a suite of precision guided munitions that include the gbu-39b small diameter bombs gbu-44b viper strike glide bomb gvu-69 small glide munition agm-176 griffin missile and agm-114 hellfire missiles the 30-millimeter cannon in particular almost like a sniper rifle it's that precise it can pretty much hit first shot first kill then first special operations wing commander colonel tom polenski told u.s military news adding that the ghost rider is going to be the most lethal with the most loiter time probably the most requested weapon system from ground forces in the history of warfare the ghost riders have saved lives says chief master sergeant edward frye enlisted leader alongside taylor at the air component command them hearing the sound of the gunship overhead that in many ways serves to embolden them frey said of afghan forces who remain heavily reliant on u.s air airpower even if the gunship doesn't fire one round it still provides that utility the precision guided munitions capability has really added a new dimension to the gunship's capabilities giving it more standoff reach and the ability to engage targets in multiple distinct areas simultaneously with its 30 millimeter and 105 millimeter weapons the ghost rider can also provide the same kind of extremely precise direct fire support as their predecessors the ac-130js are also packed with a variety of updated sensors data links communication systems and more and the air force is already in the process of further updating those systems the latest block 30 ghost riders which the fourth special operations squadron began receiving in march feature a number of improvements over the block 20 aircraft that the 73rd special operations squadron is flying in afghanistan now this includes upgraded sensor turrets with higher fidelity electro optical and infrared full motion video cameras and a new large broadband satellite communications hump on top of the forward fuselage the air force is looking to improve the survivability of all of its remaining gunships against newly emerging threats such as gps jamming too in 2018 u.s army general raymond thomas then head of u.s special operations command said that unspecified opponents most likely russian or russian-backed forces were using electronic warfare attacks against gunships operating over syria entirely new capabilities might find their way onto the ghost riders as time goes on too air force special operations command is planning to demonstrate a high-energy laser weapon on one of its ac-130js in 2022 but with no more ac-130u deployments on the schedule and ac-130js now flying combat missions the air force has already entered a new era of gunship operations [Music] okay here we go [Music] got me [Music] [Music] you

Channel: US Military News

Views: 7,290,798

Keywords: ac-130j ghostrider, ghostrider, ac-130, ac-130j, angel of death, ac-130 above, ac-130 in action, ac-130 cockpit, ac-130 crew, ac-130 cannon, ac c 130 gunship, ac-130 documentary, ac-130 engines, ac-130 firing, ac-130 gunner, ac-130 hercules, ac-130 howitzer, ac-130 laser, ghostrider laser, ghostrider firing, ac-130j weapons, ac-130j 105mm, ac-130j 30mm cannon

Id: XVslfOqh0go

Length: 10min 13sec (613 seconds)

Published: Tue May 25 2021