- [Air Traffic Control] Spectre
61, Runway 04, Wind is 310 at 11, Gust 15 Clear for takeoff. - [Man] Lobo 29, rounds are on target, fire for effect. - Gun ready.
- Rounds away. (artillery exploding) (metal clanging) - Right behind me is the most heavily-armed gunship in history. The AC-130J Ghostrider. This is the U.S. Air Force's
ultimate battle plane, designed specifically to
provide close air support to troops on the ground. Well, today I'm out here
at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, to teach
you about the mission, the crew, and what it's like to experience firing the weapons myself so that we can see what this
gunship is truly capable of. Guys, get ready, 'cause
this is the AC-130. (munitions exploding) (intense rock music) (metal clanging) (plane buzzing) (dramatic rock music) - I'm Major Mark Wulf, I'm
a Weapons System Officer on the AC-130J Ghostrider. Our mission set is to
provide close air support to special operation forces, as well as other other
precision-strike capabilities to the battlefield. We fly with a crew of
eight to nine crew members, two pilots, two combat systems officers, and three to four aerial
gunners who operate the guns and who do all the loading. We're excited to take Sam up
and get some hands-on training and see what he can do and
see how accurate he can be shooting the guns and
actually loading the guns. - So this is the Ghostrider, huh? - Yeah, it's essentially
a bomb truck with guns. - You know, a few videos back I got to fly on the normal variant of the C-130, and that thing was incredible, but I mean, this takes that platform to a whole 'nother level. - Yeah, I've loved working on it and seeing the impact
it's had on the mission all across the world. - I can't imagine, respect to what you do, and just excited to be out here. - I appreciate it. - So this is the AC-130J Gunship, the most heavily-armed
aircraft in the world. To the rear of the aircraft
he have a 105mm Howitzer, which is dubbed the GAU-XX, which is the newest version of the 105. To the floor of the aircraft,
we have a 30mm GAU-23, which is a chainlink gun, and then we have the capabilities
to carry on the wings small diameter bombs as
well as Hellfire missiles, and in the tail of the
aircraft we can actually carry Griffin missiles. - [Sam] Now when you step
inside the cargo bay, the level of firepower on display is really tough to comprehend. The first thing you'll
notice is the 30mm gun, which is capable of firing
up to 200 rounds per minute, each roughly the size of a Coke bottle. - Each round blows up with the same force as a hand grenade, and let's just say that we have enough on board
to do some serious damage. - [Sam] The 30 mil brings
a lot of flexibility to the Ghostrider's crew. The gun is on a trainable mount which means it can pivot along two axes, making it easier to aim at the target without having to
reorient the entire plane. The ammunition also feeds in
from two different chains, allowing gunners to quickly switch to a second kind of ammunition if they need to take
out a different threat. (30mm firing) - Here in front of us we
have the 105mm Howitzer, which is capable of shooting rounds that weigh up to 50 pounds.
- 50 pounds! - Yeah, let me show you.
- Okay. (metal sliding) Oh my gosh. For those of you watching, this is every bit of 50 pounds, and I can't believe you
guys have to grab these and load 'em up every time. - Every single time.
- This must create some serious firepower.
- Very serious. Yeah, so this round and
this weapon, the Howitzer, is actually used by the Army. They utilize it on the ground. Here we have modified
it so that we're able to shoot it in the air. - Flying artillery. - Absolutely.
- I can't wait to try shooting this thing myself,
that's gonna be crazy. - Let's do it. - I'm 1st Lt Gordon Kowalkowski, I'm a co-pilot on the AC-130J Ghostrider. One thing that's different
about flying this aircraft is while we're in the gun orbit, we're actually maneuvering
the plane around the guns, so in order to hit a target that's outside of the gun's maneuverable box, we will maneuver the aircraft in a way so that the guns can reach that target, and when the guns go off you
can definitely feel the recoil. When the 105 goes off, the airplane moves six feet in the opposite direction, and when the 30 goes off, it's just, someone's kicking your
seat the whole time. (gun firing) - [Sam] Now that massive
recoil the 105 produces also causes the cannon to
shoot back about 43 inches, with 14,000 pounds of force. Easily enough to do some serious damage to a crew member caught behind it. - This yellow looking
cage that we have here is actually called the safety cage. This was built around
to protect crew members from the recoil of the gun, so as long as you're not behind it Sam, I think we'll be all right. - Definitely, I don't want to
get a hand caught in there, or a foot, I can't imagine
the damage that would do. - You definitely don't. - I'm gonna be making sure
you're looking out for me. - Oh, we've got your back.
- All right. - [Sam] At this point, it
was time to head inside the squadron for the mission brief. This was my opportunity
to sit in with the crew and find out just what to
expect during my flight on the Ghostrider. - All right, hey Sam,
we're just gonna go over the sortie that we're doing today, but we'll have everybody in their seats, strapping in at 1600. We'll have you up front in the jump seat for the takeoff at 1630. After we take off, maybe
five, ten minutes after that, we'll let you go to the back, when we get overhead the range, and then we'll let you get
on the 30mm with my gunners. Gonna get you a few shots with that, then get you back to the 105, let you load a few of the rounds. They're pretty heavy, but
we'll see how you do with that, and then we'll put you
in the seat as well, so you can operate the sensors, and then shoot, pull the trigger, and shoot a few of the guns there on the impact area that we have out there at Melrose Range, and
then we'll come back here, call it a day.
- You make it sound so simple. - Yeah?
- Yeah. - You got any questions for me, though? - No, I'm very excited,
I don't really know exactly what to expect, but I'm sure I'll feel that thing. It's gonna be crazy, huh. - Yeah, it's a pretty good recoil. It's kind of like if
somebody were to, like, kick the bottom of your
chair kind of hard, like you're sitting in right now. - Uhhuh, okay, I'll take you up on that, let's see if it's like that. All right, well thank you so much. I'll see you out there on the flight line.
- Sounds good. We'll see you out there. - [Sam] On my way out to the aircraft, I stopped by aircrew flight equipment to pick up a few pieces of gear. The first was a safety
helmet for protection that also allows me to communicate with the pilots and crew, and the second was a pair of gloves I'll be required to wear
when loading the guns. All right, I got a helmet
and a pair of gloves. That is what will be protecting me when I'm firing the 30 mil and the 105. Checks out. After that, it was finally
time to head back outside to load up for the flight. (intense rock music) All right guys, we're
about to load up here. I'll be honest, I'm
feeling a little nervous. I know this isn't a fighter jet, or a helicopter doing low levels, but I mean, the firepower
on this thing is crazy, and the fact that I get to
strap in and shoot it myself. It's gonna be exciting, but,
we'll just see how it goes, so can't wait to bring you guys along. Just like we briefed, I
started out in the flight deck where I would be sitting for takeoff. As the pilots ran their
pre-flight checklist, the rest of the crew was busy prepping the aircraft for our mission. Now one thing I haven't shown you yet is probably the most important
component of the Ghostrider. This dual-console computer
system known as the MOP, or Mission Operator Pallet. This is where all the weapons
systems are controlled, including the cameras, sensors, and most importantly, the trigger. The MOP is typically occupied by the Combat and
Weapon Systems Officers, however, today when we
get out to the range, I'll have a chance to take a seat and give it a go myself. - [Controller] Spectre 61
Runway 04, Wind 310 at 11, Gust 15 Clear for takeoff. - [Sam] After starting the engines and receiving tower clearance
for taxi and takeoff, my flight aboard the mighty
AC-130 was officially underway. (plane roaring) (exciting rock music) - All right, Sam, we're at 10,000 feet. We've got about 15-16 miles
'til we get to the range, and then we'll start our shooting once we get all our stuff done over there. - All right, I'll plan
on heading to the back. - Sweet man.
- Ready to load those guns up.
- Yeah, absolutely. And to shoot 'em, too.
- Yeah, it's gonna be sweet. - It'll be a good time. - [Sam] After making my way to the back, I grabbed my helmet and gloves and found a seat behind the MOP as I waited for the crew to
finish prepping the guns. Before they're ready to fire, the guns have to be adjusted through a process called tweaking. This is very similar
to lining up the sights on a rifle or shotgun, and for the AC-130, it involves firing rounds
at different points in the gun orbit, so wind adjustment and other
corrections can be made. - [WSO] You want to take
shots from different parts of the orbit, because
the wind is different as we go around the orbit.
- Right. - [WSO] And you gotta
remember, we're like, we're over one mile away
from where we're shooting, so that's why the wind can change, from up here to down there, so, that's for the tweak only. - [Sam] Once all the tweaks were made, it was time to take my seat at the MOP. The first thing I'll say
is that to some extent, it really did feel like I
was playing a video game. The side controller where
you see my left hand is where you change the
position of the camera over the targets, as well as the zoom, and you can actually
adjust the sensitivity just like your typical Xbox
or PlayStation controller. - [WSO] Pull it straight back towards you. See that it zooms out,
and then push it forward, that's what you, so those two fingers are the ones you're gonna use the most. - Zoom in, out, left, right. This is just like Call of Duty, guys. - [Cal of Duty] Enemy AC-130, above! - [Sam] I'm not kidding, it seriously was. But anyways, once I had a fairly good idea on how things worked at the MOP, it was finally time to fire. Starting out on gun one, the 30 mil, this was gonna be fun. - So you're good to go. - Is this the button? (laughs) - It's the trigger. - Oh, okay.
- Okay, so as soon as you pull it,
the gun's gonna go off. So you good?
- I think I'm good. - All right, here you go. - Here we go, three, two, one. (gun blasting) - There you go, that a kid. (artillery exploding) - I just fired an AC-130, guys. (pilots chuckling) And don't worry, because I promise, we're just getting started. (exciting rock music) - [Pilot] Ground, Spectre 61. - [CSO] Pilot, you got
guns one and two online. - [Pilot] Pilot copies. - [Sam] Okay, so that was pretty cool but I think it's time
that we moved to the gun I had been waiting patiently for. Yep, gun two, the 105mm cannon. (gun firing) For this, things were going to work a little bit differently. Instead of just pulling the trigger, we were going to simulate
a real-life fire mission. - [WSO] All right, you
ready for a fire mission? - Hell yeah. This is how things would work in a real-life combat situation, with friendly forces on the
ground calling in an airstrike. - Spectre 61, Lobo 29, fire mission, over. - [Sam] That first piece of comms is from the simulated
controller on the ground who is calling in the initial
request for an air strike. - [Sam] Send it. - [Controller] My position,
OP jockey, no mark. Target location is 140. 530 meters, group of
three tanks in the open, no mark, over. - [Sam] I then responded send it, which prompts the controller to transmit the coordinates and target. In this case, a group
of three enemy tanks. Specter 61 copies, looking. Tally target, one enemy tank. Now this final piece of comms you'll hear is my favorite part, because it includes a checklist run down from the entire crew. As the WSO, or Weapon Systems Officer, I'll relay the gun type,
ammunition, and distance to target, which then allows the CSO,
or Combat Systems Officer, next to me to confirm. It then goes to the pilot
who has a consent switch up in the flight deck, before going back down to the gunners, who load the ammunition and confirm that gun two is ready to fire. Crew two, WSO, gun two, trainable, prox, target 140, 530 meters, WSO ready. - [CSO] CSO confirms. - [Pilot] Arm two. - [Sam] Gun two armed. - [Gunner] Gun ready. (gun launching) - [Sam] Rounds away. (artillery exploding) Boom, that's a direct, let's go. - [Controller] Spectre 61. - [Gunner] Gun ready. - [Controller] Lobo 29,
rounds are on target. Fire for effect. (popping distantly) - [Pilot] Yeah, MOP, from another pilot, we're gonna descend to 9,500 just to see if it's a little less bumpy. 10,000 puts us right at the
base of the clouds, basically. - [Sam] So if you've
stuck around this long, you'll know that there's still one thing I have left to do. Experience loading the
105mm cannon myself. As I pulled on my gloves and made my way to the rear of the aircraft, I realized this was not going to be the easiest thing I'd ever done. Handling 50 pound rounds at
almost 10,000 feet in the air while experiencing some
pretty bad turbulence? Let's hope I brought my A-game. - [Gunner] All right, Sam, we're gonna get you on the 105, shooting some TP rounds,
you good with that? - Let's do it. - I want you to be absolutely careful, 'cause the turbulence
right now is really bad. So remember how this works, right? You're gonna take your hand,
you're gonna cup the back. You want to cover the primer at all times, right? - [Gunner] You're gonna take it out, slide it into your hand.
- Okay. - [Gunner] You're gonna swing over. It slides in, right?
- Okay, awesome. - Does that make sense?
- Yep. It was actually a little
bit more complicated than it sounded, especially
remembering how to arm it, once it was loaded in the gun, but anyways, I gave it my best shot. (thrilling rock music) - [Gunner] All right,
it's already selected, so you're going to close your breach. Hit the F1, and then arm it. Say "gun ready."
- Gun ready. (cannon firing) (Sam howling) A little rusty, and
definitely lacking the speed that an actual AC-130 gunner has, but hey, not bad for my first time. I gave it a few more goes, but then decided it would be way more fun to let the experts have at it, as we finished up our final
few rounds before landing. (loud rock music) (metal clanging) (artillery firing) (plane whizzing) Guys, I don't even know
what to say about that one. I've been fascinated by the
AC-130 ever since I was a kid, so to be able to come out here to Cannon to fly with the crew and experience firing those weapons
myself, it was just amazing. As always, thank you
so much for tuning in. I hope you learned something new, and I'll catch you in the next one.
