I remember seeing a Pic hanging on my uncle's wall firing at night. He was part of these things. He's passed now. Buried at naval air station in Pensacola FL. Salute to you uncle William god bless and thank you for your service sir.
I was the CNC programmer who made some of the "gunports" for these two weapons. Basically if you think of the gun like a shifter in a manual car, we made the frame around the shifter boot (visible in the beginning of the clip on the exterior of the aircraft). I can't remember the exact numbers but it started out as something like a 700 lb chunk of aluminum and ended up weighing like 40 lbs or something after machining. Took about 40hrs of runtime on the machine. Not the most critical parts of the system but still challenging to make. Happy to be a part of it, and awesome to see them in action! Hats off to all those who run and maintain these.
@@tuberware6165 , being a pacifist in our world is plain silly. We should strive for it, yet the mankind is not anywhere near that level as you can see from all the mess in the world. So the old Roman saying still stands true: si vis pacem, para bellum. I am happy that we have the US with all its military might on our side because the alternative are the Russians or Chinese - no, thank you.
A men with the new ..f- with ..ground ...battlefield ..attack chart computing ..catalogging..systems in the existing. Perhaps 'if someone would..fund a new a-10..2 seater with bigger wings and engines by a third ..and radars..s/a the f'15s...the russians..will fear. Overkill in the category of bedtime stories..from the americans...because we don't fear it at all as my friend woody always said ..oh we are prepared to bring the noise...gm
On behalf of my Father that fired the 40mm off the back of a Spectre in Nam... I'm sure he'd say to you.. "You're welcome" and "Glad you're home_ 😊. I am
I went on a few gunship missions in 2007. One mission I remember was that of providing close air support for a SAS unit while it moved to rendezvous with the extraction team. We had swatches of enemy personnel hiding in a church and then exiting to fire upon the unit but we were ordered to not engage with the church directly so had to wait for the enemy to come out to pick them off. I have to say that the accuracy of the gunship was amazing and together with the SAS team we held off a considerable enemy assault with no casualties.
@@lymaneadie4710 We both have fond memories it seems, but unfortunately Soap had passed away in battle but I'm sure he would be happy for this story to be told.
One of the problems we had with the AC-130U 25mm gun was the inertia of the ammo. The gun cycled so quickly that when the trigger was released about 6 rounds would continue past the breach because it was hard to stop all those rounds when you get them moving. The feed system actually reversed to recover those unfired rounds. Getting this feature to function was a big pain during development.
First of all. Thank you for your service. The Spooky had 3 guns: 25mm gatling style gun, 40 mm Bofors, and the 105. Ghostrider only has 2. If you could, please explain how the 30 mm gun replaces the 25 and 40? I appreciate any insight. .
@@davegiven0330 The US does not use the 40mm in anything but the AC-130s so it was logistically difficult to support. The 30mm is used on other US systems plus it has good velocity, an anti-armor round and a high explosive incendiary round. The 40mm round had some limitations as seen in the Panama action where it was unable to penetrate three levels of concreate floors to reach the fighters on the first floor.
The very first 'prototype'/experimental spooky early in 'nam was a WW II era C-47 'gooney bird' that was equipped with three Browning 1919A1 30-06 cal.air cooled WW II machine guns pointed out the fuselage side windows/cargo door and aimed by the pilot with a simple sight out his side window.
I was in the Navy and remember sneaking out on the deck and watch these guys, they were amazing. It was like sitting in a drive in theater watching a movie, but it was the real thing. When we went to GQ for NGFS we became part of it and realized this is real.Respect to you all
I got to guard these things on the ground during a joint special operations rescue exercise in the states (not sure if im allowed to say where or when). But to be standing on a civilian flightline in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, and to have these things and some pavelows and black hawks just parked like a row of sleeping dragons, it wasn’t a duty it was a privilege.
Back in 2012 I met one of the female pilots and she said when they start firing she could feel the ship being pushed sideways from all the recoil.. amazing amount of support they provide.
The american military is in the soon in the same condition like the russian army. It has become a pot for administrative quota females and pc-woke and couldn't deal with a hot fight anymore. Just as the russian army is a sorry shadow of its former glory. The retreat from Afghanistan has shown in what mental state it is. I don't mean to hate and I may overpaint the issue but you know, deep down, I'm on not all that off with my assumptions. Correct me if I'm really very wrong.
I remember being on a hilltop looking down at the impact area during a night exercise and was mesmerized by what I watched. Much respect for these guys from us paratroopers.
I was in Mary Ester near Eglin AFB, watching them run exercises on July 4th weekend many years ago. They were flying huge circles and we could see the flashes and hear the impacts
Amazing how they cut a huge hole into the planes side. Load it with 25 tons of ammo, fly to the enemy and within 5 minutes, unload the ammo through those barrels and hit every inch of enemy territory! Amazing! Thank you for serving!
I was always fascinated with the old WW2 ships and the large canons they had some of those multi barrel guns were like 3 or 4 stories tall and shot 30-40lb projectiles in unison very accurately as well. The process and engineering used to load and fire those canons in a massive working ship was so impressive. They didn't have GPS or satellites but were still extremely accurate for their day. This is next level here but it's all just as cool to see.
World War II - artillery radars, analog ballistic computers. In any case, on new battleships. By the middle of the war, in fact, on all USA ships, even the control of anti-aircraft guns was already computerized then.
30-40lb projectiles are like a 5" gun. So, a dual-purpose weapon primary to destroyers, secondary to cruisers and battleships. They were automated by the end of the war, but not 3-4 stories tall, the only ones that big were cruiser and battleship turrets. I'm most impressed that the The US army and navy both had very good artillery computers for the time. They were accurate. Then again, so were the German AAA, where they chained 3-4 batteries to one radar-rangefinder. It calculated the ballistics for each gun.
I was a crew chief on c-130s at Pope AFB, and always wanted to experience a flight on a gunship in full attack mode, even a training run. I enjoyed the C-130s, the swiss army knife of cargo aircraft.
You more than likely will see this yourself UP CLOSE when they get turned loose on the REAL PATRIOTS when this government completes it's liberal/socialist/communist agenda!
@Yourfather1372 War is hell. Religion has caused more deaths than most despots. With the advent of social media we hear about more deaths that happen as collateral damage. That thing has always happened but now we are hearing about it. Me and my brothers had a job to do just as you and your brothers had a job to do. We are the worker bees not the decision makers.
You mean the profit making MIC? "War is a racket" and also organized culling of humans. Don't glorify it, because the non-human entities behind it will target you and your loved ones sooner than you know. WWIII is already planned and is getting prepared as these lines are written.
My father got to see these dragons operate in Vietnam and Iraq. These gunships can literally change the topography of an area in seconds and can basically erase an enemy presence and position. The systems used in the modern models are simply amazing and terrifying.
They should just arrive in the middle east and change their topography forever and wipe out the entire enemy population. It would be money well spent I think.
Kinda cool to kill people in a country you were not supposed to go to ain't it? A normal plane without weapons kinda changed NY topography too ;) a long time due right? (What I say is basically meant to make you feel how readers feel depending on where they are from) It's like being thrilled by things that slaughter families overseas. And I guess you wouldn't be that thrilled about people getting so excited about Americans being bombed right?
Truely a far different best than the A Models that flew over the Ho Chi Minh Trail on the late 60s. My father was an aircrew member on The First Lady and to hear his stories is a great feast. Truly different beasts, for sure.
I served at Hurlburt 81 to 85 as a weapons mechanic on the H models! I have visited the Eglin museum and checked out the first lady! She was the first production C 130 accepted by the air force back in 53 or 54! Think she was retired in 94 or 95!!!
@@scott1395 I was able to visit the Armament Museum, where the First Lady now proudly rests, and was able to touch her and thank her for being my father, and the other airmen, home safely after all those missions.
I've seen these in action and they are bad ass! I was stationed at Ft Bragg and would here them training at night in my bunk. It gave me a sense of peace and confidence and put me right to sleep.
Just think about the 1960's before computers and the C-47 orbiting at night firing close air support...very close. Must have been tremendously difficult.
Is it? Not saying it is not, but how accurat is it? Does every shot hits its target (non moving)? They do'nt look like "smart" bombs/bullets or are they?
@@010kingg4 It's the principle of accuracy by volume . Considering your firing from a moving plane at target's on the ground that may or may not be moving also 🤔. Let me ask you just one thing . Have you ever seen them NOT terminate their target's?? . . . The answer is NO . There for accuracy is insane.
Makes me feel really old. I was on H model Gunships. We thought the U model was great because it was the first pressurized gunship. Now they have retired it. They even drop bombs off them. Technology has really changed the game. Glad I was retired before they converted Cannon AFB New Mexico to AFSOC.
I was 1 of 5 who installed a new ATC radar system at Canon AFB in 1972 time-frame. I bought a Ruger Mark 1 with a 6" bull barrel in Clovis and still have it today and it looks exactly as it did 50 years ago. It was my first pistol. F111s were the primary aircraft stationed there back then. I remember the F111s with ball's to the wall and on the deck and was awed by the sight of that at dusk with after-burners blazing. I'll never forget that.
I was there in 1973, /77 Cannon AFB was crazy 🤪 flat as hell loaded weapons on the F-111 day and night finally got out of there went to Luke AFB with the F15s
We were prepping for a mission near the end of jimmy’s presidency, down at Eglin with the gunships. I was a radioman, would be the ground controller for one gunship. I asked how accurate they are. If I have to call danger close I still hope to survive. The howitzer gunner said he could put his second shot into my back pocket if I needed it.
One of my favorite airship, gunship, or ? Ever. Just the amount of firepower, ground support, and overall awesomeness is awe inspiring. Definitely commands respect
@@djbabbotstown Absolute nonsense. Why would an AC-130 be deployed to Ukraine? And if it would ever be deployed, it would be after securing air superiority.
@@EaglePicking have you ever been in serbia??? we took down of your so invisible 117 stealth ...haha what a joke ..we did it with radar from the 70th ...
Aircrew preflight inspection.... Supervised ground testing of the 5th generation gunship, 1988 -.1990, Edward's AFB CA.... Can only imagine the advances since then!!! Phenomenal machine!!! Vietnam Era nose art read: "You can run, but you'll only die tired...." some other was, "Spectre, death from above..."
I agree I got to see one with my uncle years ago. Up top you see the guns but down below is the really impressive part 3 levels of amazing engineering and hydraulically powered awesome 👌
Mechanic? Or were you in the crew/both? Where do you begin when you think of mounting something with THAT much firepower out the side of your cabin?? Just the operation and systems have always seemed incredible to me
I and my family thank all of you for your service and sacrifice. We feel it is vitally important to take the short amount of time needed to give you that knowing we owe all of you so much more.
Don't know if it's still the same but back in my day as a 46250 weapons mechanic on ac 130s, gunners were cross trained from the weapons mechanic career field! Best 4 years of my life at Hurlburt field! 81 to 85!!! For 15 years or so I used to have occasional dreams I was on the flightless and no one knew me! Weird!!!
I was on the AC-130 during the Vietnam War. They have made a lot of changes sense then. Lot of memories I still have of those days. Some good and some bad.
Strange how the brass falls to the deck, when they should have a basket (in the ‘safety frame’) to catch it instead of it possibly rolling away if the airplane banks at that moment. Also, I wonder why they don’t have the breech automatically open (and eject the casing) when it returns to battery.
> I wonder why they don’t have the breech automatically open (and eject the casing) when it returns to battery. My only assumption as to why today we still have these things that are generally manual - is the simplicity. The force in which the operator is opening that breach tell me that to do something similar automatically would require a reasonably powered hydraulic or electrical system. The problem with that is maintenance, support, triage, and failure modes. If all systems are operational - except for the auto-eject then the gun is useless. So why bother adding more points of failure to increase ROF in a negligible way?
Aren't they hand recovering each shell and placing it back into the rack? You answer your last question with your first statement. Why have an automatic ejector creating a fod hazard instead of positive control of the spent shell. As someone already stated, you've got 2 aircrew already on the gun. Is the juice worth the squeeze to make it automatic when they're already back there to load and troubleshoot?
@@albertful1967, yes I am an ‘armchair expert’ of sorts - but I was a (field) artillery detachment commander for years. And maybe those principles don’t apply when you don’t have your feet on the ground. I suppose what I know of 155mm artillery doesn’t apply to 105mm(?) airborne guns.
Being a Marine vet of 16 years, I was never a fan of showing off our new weapons or weapons that are not well known of. If someone wants to see what they can do, let it be the enemy on the receiving end. Then they can experience what those weapons are capable of.
Part of the reason for that is to act as a deterrent. If you think of militaries as breasts, the US is the bustiest of them all, and she shows the girls off. Confidence will intimidate a man.
counter intel is strong enough that a lot of stuff doesnt benefit much from being undisclosed. also breadcrumbing stuff helps keep the real hush hush things hidden i guess
Fun fact: since the very first C130 was manufactured, a small mouse symbol has been sewn into the webbing of every seat belt on the plane. I’d love to know what the origin of this practice is, but can’t find any info on it anywhere.
Back in the mid to late 80's i was working on production of the Gau 8(30mm)....30mm ltw...and the 25 mm bushmaster. It was unbelievable what these rounds could do...we had a test range and the gau 8 round was just nothingshort of astounding!! Back then we had alot of secret and top secret info....but the most fantastic load was the "depleted uranium' round....everybody knows about all this now but back then when we test fired this stuff all we could do was stand there with our mouths open we were so shocked...truly something i will always remember...
I can't imagine tech development required to shot ballistic weapon from flying plane into moving objects on the ground. These babies are real beasts! I wish we could see them flying over Ukraine... and A-10 warthogs doing the job they were designed to :)
When I was in basic training for the Army, we got to see a demonstration of the Vulcan cannon. It fired so fast that it continued to eject brass after they let off the triggers. The sound of it firing was more like the sound of heavy fabric like canvas tearing than the sound of a weapon. I will never forget that. I feel sorry for anyone on the other side of those barrels.
A propeller plane flying with an actual gun just sounds like something out of a steam punk novel or some weird WWI secret experiment, but here we are in 2022 in the age of jets and cyber warfare.
I have been told that when the AC-130 is above 10,000 ft. and the crew is working closely together, you can get 3 150mm rounds in the air at same time to the target, but you have to fire, reload fast.
105mm. two rounds in air is good, not sure about 3. i was at Ubon RTAB flying AC-130H which had 40mm and twin 20mm. twin cause Vulcans were jam prone. shot only one at a time. can still smell the cordite. old pilot
I was 82C, field artillery surveyor, for guns, Lance, and MLRS. I would have a really hard time figuring out how to lay in that gun. I'd have to wear my good boots I guess.
Isn’t it complicated and a very hard task for Ukrainians to handle the delivered equipment from outside? I can imagine how long such a training and educational process it requires..
While in VIet Nam in 1971 I got to see one of the first Gun Ships. It was a UH-1N Chopper during a sapper attack on an ammo dump. It Looked like you could climb up the red rope to the Helo. I did see the AC-119G/K, the AC-47 and The AC-130 flying around but never got to see them operate!!
I've seen these birds in action and I can tell you, these planes can unleash some serious hellfire and I promise you, you don't want to be anywhere near when they open up. But my question is, the C-130 isn't exactly the most agile or the fastest bird in the sky. So don't these things make a great target for SAMs?
I think they are positioned as the second or third wave when radar detecting SAMs and enemy jet fighters have been destroyed. Or even for supporting ground troops. Probably equipped with counter measures in case of mobile SAMs.
@@michaelnaretto3409 I think so have seen a video with one of these planes in a banked circle, firing at the target area from multiple sides. Slower is better for that situation, take out one side ofmthe building, bunker, hangar, then circle around to the other side for more shelling of the other side, if the structure is still standing. Heck of a beast, don't want to see the pointy end of one of those shells.
People on the internet seem to be completely in love with the A-10, but the AC-130 is the true terror. If one of those is on station above your position, then you are already dead.
@@bobbranson8171 A great number of innocent civilians have been murdered by them. And each of those has the rippling effect of causing even more loss of life when friends and family want to be "avenging angels" for the innocent. Would you sacrifice your family's lives if it got 1 criminal killed? Would you be pissed at the person/people that made that call? Effectively, they endanger FAR more lives than have been "saved" by them. But hey, it's an imperfect world.
I was an avionics technician and I was always amazed at the complexities of these airborne systems. It's kind of sad, really, that war is when we at our most innovative. The human race is amazing in it's capacity to find novel ways to kill other humans.
There is a video from one of the guys that worked on these gunships and he said everyone who worked that job got really sick from the lead in all the primers that would fill the aircraft. I am not sure if it was true or not but pretty sad if it is.
Who needs clean drinking water in our public schools, vets with quality health care, or bridges that aren't falling apart when we can spend all our country's money on this awesome piece of machinery
I remember seeing a
Pic hanging on my uncle's wall firing at night. He was part of these things. He's passed now. Buried at naval air station in Pensacola FL. Salute to you uncle William god bless and thank you for your service sir.
This aircraft amazes me. I’m told that for troops in contact it’s like having a battalion turn up to help when the AC130 joins the fight.
Better. My Dad told me of Puff the Magic Dragon in Vietnam. These were in Iraq and Afghanistan.
When you can use a 105 Howitzer like a sniper rifle. Things get interesting.
AC 130 and A10 warthogs are both the most terrifying warplanes to ever exist
Bring the Rain! - Sergeant Epps (Transformers 2007)
YOU BET YOUR BOOTY....
AND THE GROUND TROOPS
JUST LOVE THEIR AIR
SUPPORT.GOD BLESS THEM ALL ! 😁❤🇺🇸
YOUR TAXDOLLARS AT WORK....AND WORTH EVERY PENNY !!!
B 52s also
So you know they're about as deadly as you can ever imagine
I was the CNC programmer who made some of the "gunports" for these two weapons. Basically if you think of the gun like a shifter in a manual car, we made the frame around the shifter boot (visible in the beginning of the clip on the exterior of the aircraft). I can't remember the exact numbers but it started out as something like a 700 lb chunk of aluminum and ended up weighing like 40 lbs or something after machining. Took about 40hrs of runtime on the machine. Not the most critical parts of the system but still challenging to make. Happy to be a part of it, and awesome to see them in action! Hats off to all those who run and maintain these.
Shame on you, you have bloody Hands
@@tuberware6165 , being a pacifist in our world is plain silly. We should strive for it, yet the mankind is not anywhere near that level as you can see from all the mess in the world. So the old Roman saying still stands true: si vis pacem, para bellum. I am happy that we have the US with all its military might on our side because the alternative are the Russians or Chinese - no, thank you.
Awesome example!! Thank you so much!
Yeah right.
@@tuberware6165 hey you know who didn't work on a bunch of military tech and hardware, the Ukrainians, that worked out well for them didn't it?
The only thing that made us feel better than having an A-10 in support was the AC-130. Love you guys and all you do for guys on the ground.
A men with the new ..f- with ..ground ...battlefield ..attack chart computing ..catalogging..systems in the existing. Perhaps 'if someone would..fund a new a-10..2 seater with bigger wings and engines by a third ..and radars..s/a the f'15s...the russians..will fear. Overkill in the category of bedtime stories..from the americans...because we don't fear it at all as my friend woody always said ..oh we are prepared to bring the noise...gm
Where is a single place on the planet that Americans needed to be, that required the support of an AC-130?
Если только воевать с туземцами в танках. Стикер посадит это ведро на раз
@@jasonscreations99well by you asking such a stupid question, tells US, you hide behind the protection these brave men and machines provide
On behalf of my Father that fired the 40mm off the back of a Spectre in Nam... I'm sure he'd say to you.. "You're welcome" and "Glad you're home_ 😊. I am
I went on a few gunship missions in 2007. One mission I remember was that of providing close air support for a SAS unit while it moved to rendezvous with the extraction team. We had swatches of enemy personnel hiding in a church and then exiting to fire upon the unit but we were ordered to not engage with the church directly so had to wait for the enemy to come out to pick them off. I have to say that the accuracy of the gunship was amazing and together with the SAS team we held off a considerable enemy assault with no casualties.
What country was this?
Did “Soap” approve of you telling this story?
@@lymaneadie4710 We both have fond memories it seems, but unfortunately Soap had passed away in battle but I'm sure he would be happy for this story to be told.
@@tearthemhindpartsup Russia apparently
As a former Batt Ranger … I salute these guys … they were our best friends
One of the problems we had with the AC-130U 25mm gun was the inertia of the ammo. The gun cycled so quickly that when the trigger was released about 6 rounds would continue past the breach because it was hard to stop all those rounds when you get them moving. The feed system actually reversed to recover those unfired rounds. Getting this feature to function was a big pain during development.
Sounds like the need for some correction system.
First of all. Thank you for your service. The Spooky had 3 guns: 25mm gatling style gun, 40 mm Bofors, and the 105. Ghostrider only has 2. If you could, please explain how the 30 mm gun replaces the 25 and 40? I appreciate any insight. .
@@davegiven0330 The US does not use the 40mm in anything but the AC-130s so it was logistically difficult to support. The 30mm is used on other US systems plus it has good velocity, an anti-armor round and a high explosive incendiary round. The 40mm round had some limitations as seen in the Panama action where it was unable to penetrate three levels of concreate floors to reach the fighters on the first floor.
What you say is a cannon management software problem.
And then this giant is well armored, with light materials, such as graphene?
The very first 'prototype'/experimental spooky early in 'nam was a WW II era C-47 'gooney bird' that was equipped with three Browning 1919A1 30-06 cal.air cooled WW II machine guns pointed out the fuselage side windows/cargo door and aimed by the pilot with a simple sight out his side window.
At one time the military worked for us. Now we all work for the military. Ike warned us.
I was in the Navy and remember sneaking out on the deck and watch these guys, they were amazing. It was like sitting in a drive in theater watching a movie, but it was the real thing. When we went to GQ for NGFS we became part of it and realized this is real.Respect to you all
Это пока Бук в зад не залетел ,или Панцирь мозги не вправил ,а вообще это корыто только папуасов пугать может ,Слава России и СССР! Вам хана!
Oh man, iron man 3 could OWN these SNOWFLAKES!
The Navy ,bahahaha 🤣
@@Styrofo4m "When we went to General Quarters for Naval Gun Fire Support we became part of it and realized this is real.Respect to you all"
thank you for your service Sir my father was also in the military during Vietnam ..
I got to guard these things on the ground during a joint special operations rescue exercise in the states (not sure if im allowed to say where or when). But to be standing on a civilian flightline in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, and to have these things and some pavelows and black hawks just parked like a row of sleeping dragons, it wasn’t a duty it was a privilege.
AC-130 was my favorite kill steak! Man I loved it on modern warfare 2
Back in 2012 I met one of the female pilots and she said when they start firing she could feel the ship being pushed sideways from all the recoil.. amazing amount of support they provide.
@@waldoinaz. I have seen multiple super super woke and flamboyant people join the army in their late 20’s it’s crazy
@@waldoinaz what on earth are you even talking about lmao
@@kydroneguy5358 Over your head mate...
@@kydroneguy5358
Reading and comprehension aren’t your strong suit are they Skippy?
@@kydroneguy5358 swooosh
Shout out to those maintainers behind the scenes putting that plane in the air 😎
And keeping it in the air
Always take care of your ground crew.
The american military is in the soon in the same condition like the russian army. It has become a pot for administrative quota females and pc-woke and couldn't deal with a hot fight anymore. Just as the russian army is a sorry shadow of its former glory. The retreat from Afghanistan has shown in what mental state it is. I don't mean to hate and I may overpaint the issue but you know, deep down, I'm on not all that off with my assumptions. Correct me if I'm really very wrong.
You are welcome!
Helicopter maintainer & air crew here. Love the job
I just jumped out of them. I salute everyone who operated and maintained them. AIRBORNE
I remember being on a hilltop looking down at the impact area during a night exercise and was mesmerized by what I watched. Much respect for these guys from us paratroopers.
Speechless.
they were awesome
Any night exercise we were on, I’d be in my hasty fighting position beating my dick like it owed me money!! Hooah! 😂😂😂😂
I was in Mary Ester near Eglin AFB, watching them run exercises on July 4th weekend many years ago. They were flying huge circles and we could see the flashes and hear the impacts
Thank you for your service.
Amazing how they cut a huge hole into the planes side. Load it with 25 tons of ammo, fly to the enemy and within 5 minutes, unload the ammo through those barrels and hit every inch of enemy territory! Amazing! Thank you for serving!
William Gibb. Are you by any chance Msgt WNG from Kadena AFB with pics of 13-3👮♂️
@@donaldsledge5461 no. Never served, but thank you for asking. Hope you find him.
Its called Murica....we invented it
With all that 25 tons of ammo, covering every inch of the enemy territory and still, the Taliban won the war!
Amazing and that feeling when air support is called in what a differences it makes
I was always fascinated with the old WW2 ships and the large canons they had some of those multi barrel guns were like 3 or 4 stories tall and shot 30-40lb projectiles in unison very accurately as well. The process and engineering used to load and fire those canons in a massive working ship was so impressive. They didn't have GPS or satellites but were still extremely accurate for their day. This is next level here but it's all just as cool to see.
World War II - artillery radars, analog ballistic computers. In any case, on new battleships. By the middle of the war, in fact, on all USA ships, even the control of anti-aircraft guns was already computerized then.
More like 2-3 thousand pounds per round!!! With a range of 20+ miles!! Amazing amazing pinnacle of classic “cannon” technology.
@@АлександрСалов-ц4л no. Also booooo russia booo
@@kishascape Googletranslit не розуміє Вашу думку.
30-40lb projectiles are like a 5" gun. So, a dual-purpose weapon primary to destroyers, secondary to cruisers and battleships. They were automated by the end of the war, but not 3-4 stories tall, the only ones that big were cruiser and battleship turrets. I'm most impressed that the The US army and navy both had very good artillery computers for the time. They were accurate. Then again, so were the German AAA, where they chained 3-4 batteries to one radar-rangefinder. It calculated the ballistics for each gun.
This is why America is great and powerful 🇺🇸 💪🏽
this is why america is broke & 17 TRILLION in debt.
Those machines are so well maintained. Well done.
@Richard V From your taxes dude!
Thank you for serving our country. Love❤all of you. . .
Especially enjoyed the footage of the ordinance striking the intended target What a Show...........
I was a crew chief on c-130s at Pope AFB, and always wanted to experience a flight on a gunship in full attack mode, even a training run. I enjoyed the C-130s, the swiss army knife of cargo aircraft.
I'm looking for a former neighbor who was at Pope. When were you there?
I salute you my American warrior
@@branchcovidian2001 hi
@@Coffey915 Were you at Pope in 1995?
@@branchcovidian2001 what exactly are you talking about
I love seeing the iner workings of any piece of artillery, how the crew operate, the procedures, the machinery... It's so fascinating!
Also watching them die from cancer very slowly! These guys should be on oxygen 100% of the time but ehh
Not really. I want to see the bodies.
@@torrentsofnothing2928 edgy ... *yawn*
@@torrentsofnothing2928 Ok buddy.
@@torrentsofnothing2928 lmao finish your homework 😂
I would have loved to seen the “on-the-ground” results of those rounds.
Not from the ground looking up!😂🤣
Right wtf
Innocents killed
You more than likely will see this yourself UP CLOSE when they get turned loose on the REAL PATRIOTS when this government completes it's liberal/socialist/communist agenda!
@Yourfather1372 War is hell. Religion has caused more deaths than most despots. With the advent of social media we hear about more deaths that happen as collateral damage. That thing has always happened but now we are hearing about it. Me and my brothers had a job to do just as you and your brothers had a job to do. We are the worker bees not the decision makers.
To everyone preparing the plane down to the pilot thank you for your service. You all are the life blood of the military
You mean the profit making MIC? "War is a racket" and also organized culling of humans. Don't glorify it, because the non-human entities behind it will target you and your loved ones sooner than you know. WWIII is already planned and is getting prepared as these lines are written.
"Are you Air Force or Artillery?"
- "Yes"
My father got to see these dragons operate in Vietnam and Iraq. These gunships can literally change the topography of an area in seconds and can basically erase an enemy presence and position. The systems used in the modern models are simply amazing and terrifying.
They should just arrive in the middle east and change their topography forever and wipe out the entire enemy population. It would be money well spent I think.
Kinda cool to kill people in a country you were not supposed to go to ain't it? A normal plane without weapons kinda changed NY topography too ;) a long time due right? (What I say is basically meant to make you feel how readers feel depending on where they are from)
It's like being thrilled by things that slaughter families overseas. And I guess you wouldn't be that thrilled about people getting so excited about Americans being bombed right?
Maybe it was just how the video was recorded, but I was amazed at how quiet that cannon is. Awesome video.
To those that appear in this video, know that we deeply appreciate you .
Absolutely scary thing to see circling above you. Awesome firepower
Truely a far different best than the A Models that flew over the Ho Chi Minh Trail on the late 60s. My father was an aircrew member on The First Lady and to hear his stories is a great feast. Truly different beasts, for sure.
'Puff the Magic Dragon' or just 'Puff'.
@@thomasschoon8407 Puff-fssssss-boom!
I served at Hurlburt 81 to 85 as a weapons mechanic on the H models! I have visited the Eglin museum and checked out the first lady! She was the first production C 130 accepted by the air force back in 53 or 54! Think she was retired in 94 or 95!!!
@@scott1395 I was able to visit the Armament Museum, where the First Lady now proudly rests, and was able to touch her and thank her for being my father, and the other airmen, home safely after all those missions.
I've seen these in action and they are bad ass! I was stationed at Ft Bragg and would here them training at night in my bunk. It gave me a sense of peace and confidence and put me right to sleep.
They trained in your bunk, at night? Must have been crowded.
Absolutely scary thing to see circling above you. Awesome firepower. Those machines are so well maintained. Well done..
What. Not for me. Saved. Us 2. Times. Bob13
Such professionals and on point. A joy to watch, knowing full well we have the best in the world.
Kikikkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk 😜😜😜😜😜😜😜
@@henokabera5919 what does that mean?
Not much good being the best in the world when the worst in the world is destroying the Ukraine and the best is standing by watching aye.
@@sharonneil2118 agreed😞
Er.....no your not!!!
Just think about the 1960's before computers and the C-47 orbiting at night firing close air support...very close. Must have been tremendously difficult.
This is also tad difficult as it relies mainly on machines, and one never know when it might jam ... So !!!
As a witness to a c47 gun ship from the ground in Vietnam, the tracers and the red glow from the ground was BEAUTIFUL!!
Gdfitz I bet they weren't beautiful to the NVA !!
Scared the feces out of everyone in the area still alive. Very intimidating beast
The magic dragon seems like one hell of a ride and one I wouldn’t wanna be on
It's so crazy to me that they got a huge freaking Cannon to work while an airplane is flying
Truly a beast! You can definitely reach out and touch someone! Great lifesaver!
The accuracy of those weapons is insane.
Is it? Not saying it is not, but how accurat is it? Does every shot hits its target (non moving)? They do'nt look like "smart" bombs/bullets or are they?
@@010kingg4 It's the principle of accuracy by volume . Considering your firing from a moving plane at target's on the ground that may or may not be moving also 🤔. Let me ask you just one thing . Have you ever seen them NOT terminate their target's??
.
.
.
The answer is NO . There for accuracy is insane.
Certainly seems to be a high lethality pair of weapons.
@@arcraider937 well cpu is a thing
@@anxietydisorders5917 So are terminal ballistics. Which make up for any errors in accuracy as even the cpu can't take every variable into account.
Very proud to have Cannon AFB as a neighbor. What these men and women do is amazing.
It really would have been nice to see the "effects" of all this firepower! On the TARGET!!
It missed
Use your imagination.
🤣
I was gonna gripe about the same thing.
That's classified... 😁
Bless the USA for having this technology, and TY for all that served
This is ‘merica !!! Proud to have US origins from Florida !
Love from France 🇫🇷
Thanks too all USA troops.
Makes me feel really old. I was on H model Gunships. We thought the U model was great because it was the first pressurized gunship. Now they have retired it. They even drop bombs off them. Technology has really changed the game. Glad I was retired before they converted Cannon AFB New Mexico to AFSOC.
I think the MOAB was dropped by a Talon (MC-Herc).
I was 1 of 5 who installed a new ATC radar system at Canon AFB in 1972 time-frame. I bought a Ruger Mark 1 with a 6" bull barrel in Clovis and still have it today and it looks exactly as it did 50 years ago. It was my first pistol. F111s were the primary aircraft stationed there back then. I remember the F111s with ball's to the wall and on the deck and was awed by the sight of that at dusk with after-burners blazing. I'll never forget that.
You sound like a Hurlbert guy
I was there in 1973, /77 Cannon AFB was crazy 🤪 flat as hell loaded weapons on the F-111 day and night finally got out of there went to Luke AFB with the F15s
There’s video of these 130’s in combat in Afghanistan. Insane accuracy and firepower. I couldn’t imagine being on the receiving end of one.
We were prepping for a mission near the end of jimmy’s presidency, down at Eglin with the gunships. I was a radioman, would be the ground controller for one gunship. I asked how accurate they are. If I have to call danger close I still hope to survive. The howitzer gunner said he could put his second shot into my back pocket if I needed it.
Would have been nice to see where they were shooting :) but great vid and salute to our boys and gals in service!!! Much Respect!!
One of my favorite airship, gunship, or ? Ever. Just the amount of firepower, ground support, and overall awesomeness is awe inspiring. Definitely commands respect
That plane’s grandfather took us into the operational area
Where is all of the noise coming from if none of the engines are running?
These will fall like confetti over Ukraine soon. And they only have a handful. What a waste.
@@djbabbotstown Absolute nonsense. Why would an AC-130 be deployed to Ukraine? And if it would ever be deployed, it would be after securing air superiority.
@@EaglePicking have you ever been in serbia??? we took down of your so invisible 117 stealth ...haha what a joke ..we did it with radar from the 70th ...
Ain’t fast, ain’t stealth, but it brings the boom. 💥
Aircrew preflight inspection....
Supervised ground testing of the 5th generation gunship, 1988 -.1990, Edward's AFB CA.... Can only imagine the advances since then!!! Phenomenal machine!!! Vietnam Era nose art read: "You can run, but you'll only die tired...." some other was, "Spectre, death from above..."
If you think this is neat you've gotta see a WII battleship 3, 16-inch gun loading and firing! Amazing!
I agree I got to see one with my uncle years ago. Up top you see the guns but down below is the really impressive part 3 levels of amazing engineering and hydraulically powered awesome 👌
only 780 billion a year!! keep up the good work!
Makes me feel proud of my Air Force service.
Azizabad Airstrike
@@SircoleYT must feel bad being you.
I remember working on the AC-130H Spectre , totally manual fire system.105mm hydraulic controls . And also flying the Spectre over the Pacific ocean.
@Karl with a K ur name suits ur comments ngl
@@m1ndh0ax hes a troll
Mechanic? Or were you in the crew/both? Where do you begin when you think of mounting something with THAT much firepower out the side of your cabin?? Just the operation and systems have always seemed incredible to me
@@mizeperez8636 literally so fascinating
@Karl with a K 😘
I and my family thank all of you for your service and sacrifice. We feel it is vitally important to take the short amount of time needed to give you that knowing we owe all of you so much more.
Crazy that they still have to manually load the shells like they did with canon hundred of years ago
The guy loading the 105mm howitzer thought he was going to work on airplanes. He ended up as an artillerymen.
Ser artillero de las nubes, es lo mas
Still working. Working on an airplane. Not mechanically but physically working in an airplane🤷♂️
Don't know if it's still the same but back in my day as a 46250 weapons mechanic on ac 130s, gunners were cross trained from the weapons mechanic career field! Best 4 years of my life at Hurlburt field! 81 to 85!!! For 15 years or so I used to have occasional dreams I was on the flightless and no one knew me! Weird!!!
I was on the AC-130 during the Vietnam War. They have made a lot of changes sense then. Lot of memories I still have of those days. Some good and some bad.
Strange how the brass falls to the deck, when they should have a basket (in the ‘safety frame’) to catch it instead of it possibly rolling away if the airplane banks at that moment. Also, I wonder why they don’t have the breech automatically open (and eject the casing) when it returns to battery.
@@albertful1967 As an ex-military man myself, I wondered the same thing.
> I wonder why they don’t have the breech automatically open (and eject the casing) when it returns to battery.
My only assumption as to why today we still have these things that are generally manual - is the simplicity. The force in which the operator is opening that breach tell me that to do something similar automatically would require a reasonably powered hydraulic or electrical system. The problem with that is maintenance, support, triage, and failure modes. If all systems are operational - except for the auto-eject then the gun is useless. So why bother adding more points of failure to increase ROF in a negligible way?
Maybe it’s not mandatory.
Aren't they hand recovering each shell and placing it back into the rack? You answer your last question with your first statement. Why have an automatic ejector creating a fod hazard instead of positive control of the spent shell. As someone already stated, you've got 2 aircrew already on the gun. Is the juice worth the squeeze to make it automatic when they're already back there to load and troubleshoot?
@@albertful1967, yes I am an ‘armchair expert’ of sorts - but I was a (field) artillery detachment commander for years. And maybe those principles don’t apply when you don’t have your feet on the ground. I suppose what I know of 155mm artillery doesn’t apply to 105mm(?) airborne guns.
Being a Marine vet of 16 years, I was never a fan of showing off our new weapons or weapons that are not well known of. If someone wants to see what they can do, let it be the enemy on the receiving end. Then they can experience what those weapons are capable of.
🤣😂
Part of the reason for that is to act as a deterrent. If you think of militaries as breasts, the US is the bustiest of them all, and she shows the girls off. Confidence will intimidate a man.
counter intel is strong enough that a lot of stuff doesnt benefit much from being undisclosed. also breadcrumbing stuff helps keep the real hush hush things hidden i guess
As a Army Scout and ODA member I always loved air support
Fun fact: since the very first C130 was manufactured, a small mouse symbol has been sewn into the webbing of every seat belt on the plane. I’d love to know what the origin of this practice is, but can’t find any info on it anywhere.
Been on several C-130s and don’t ever recall a mouse on the seatbelt.
@@CaptainO3E Were you looking for it? It’s small and usuallly very close to the pin for the buckle.
This has got to be the most amazing platform in all the military. It’s got everything.
all to kill those who cannot answer. "wings of democracy", lgbt guard troops. with God's help, you will be destroyed.
Back in the mid to late 80's i was working on production of the Gau 8(30mm)....30mm ltw...and the 25 mm bushmaster. It was unbelievable what these rounds could do...we had a test range and the gau 8 round was just nothingshort of astounding!! Back then we had alot of secret and top secret info....but the most fantastic load was the "depleted uranium' round....everybody knows about all this now but back then when we test fired this stuff all we could do was stand there with our mouths open we were so shocked...truly something i will always remember...
What an absolute amazing feat of engineering. Thank you all for your service.
Yes acá looking" the Charly" y what"!?
I can't imagine tech development required to shot ballistic weapon from flying plane into moving objects on the ground. These babies are real beasts! I wish we could see them flying over Ukraine... and A-10 warthogs doing the job they were designed to :)
Их сразу уничтожат. Это оружие устарело. Без вариантов. Любое ПВО убьет этот самолёт, сразу.
When I was in basic training for the Army, we got to see a demonstration of the Vulcan cannon. It fired so fast that it continued to eject brass after they let off the triggers. The sound of it firing was more like the sound of heavy fabric like canvas tearing than the sound of a weapon. I will never forget that. I feel sorry for anyone on the other side of those barrels.
The engineering inside this beast of a unit is just next level beautiful.
Absolutely brilliant 👏👏👍👌
You guys are great, all the more reason why we love America, thank you, GOD bless you!
lots different then the one i flew in Nam. like night and day.
A propeller plane flying with an actual gun just sounds like something out of a steam punk novel or some weird WWI secret experiment, but here we are in 2022 in the age of jets and cyber warfare.
Our adversaries love these videos. Now they have the knowledge of the gun position layout and functions!
Tip to, AHEM, - "enemy targets":
"Don't run away - you'll just die tired"...
I have been told that when the AC-130 is above 10,000 ft. and the crew is working closely together, you can get 3 150mm rounds in the air at same time to the target, but you have to fire, reload fast.
105mm. two rounds in air is good, not sure about 3. i was at Ubon RTAB flying AC-130H which had 40mm and twin 20mm. twin cause Vulcans were jam prone. shot only one at a time. can still smell the cordite. old pilot
I admire the dedication and skill of these young men. Kudos to you all. 😎🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I was 82C, field artillery surveyor, for guns, Lance, and MLRS. I would have a really hard time figuring out how to lay in that gun. I'd have to wear my good boots I guess.
Isn’t it complicated and a very hard task for Ukrainians to handle the delivered equipment from outside? I can imagine how long such a training and educational process it requires..
@@kingofbarons4125 this isn’t among the stuff being donated to Ukraine.
Spooky Adjust, aiming point this instrument. Wait...
In a nutshell they are just point lasers at a target. Computers do all the work.
This aircraft is profoundly impressive.
Great video.
While in VIet Nam in 1971 I got to see one of the first Gun Ships. It was a UH-1N Chopper during a sapper attack on an ammo dump. It Looked like you could climb up the red rope to the Helo. I did see the AC-119G/K, the AC-47 and The AC-130 flying around but never got to see them operate!!
I've seen these birds in action and I can tell you, these planes can unleash some serious hellfire and I promise you, you don't want to be anywhere near when they open up. But my question is, the C-130 isn't exactly the most agile or the fastest bird in the sky. So don't these things make a great target for SAMs?
Prop planes are slower but they can loiter longer over a battlefield.
I've wandered the same thing?
I think they are positioned as the second or third wave when radar detecting SAMs and enemy jet fighters have been destroyed. Or even for supporting ground troops. Probably equipped with counter measures in case of mobile SAMs.
@@michaelnaretto3409 I think so have seen a video with one of these planes in a banked circle, firing at the target area from multiple sides. Slower is better for that situation, take out one side ofmthe building, bunker, hangar, then circle around to the other side for more shelling of the other side, if the structure is still standing. Heck of a beast, don't want to see the pointy end of one of those shells.
I wondered the same, do flairs work against anti air missiles?
Imagine this beast in action above sea 🤩
God Bless All of You That Serve Our Country. 💯🇺🇲
A great weapon system when you have total air dominance.
N if you don't?
@@Hagendaz97 For that you'll want SSMs or jets.
Любое ПВО приземлит этот самолёт. Сразу. ПЗРК, Стрела-10. Этот самолёт устарел.
Such firepower, awesome, THANKS GUYS. ❤
The newer C-130 Gunships are sick! But this is before that time!
Looks and sounds so powerful!!
@Albert de Kogel so, you don’t think there’s any countermeasures on this aircraft.
Armament is hard ass work, extremely fulfilling.
People on the internet seem to be completely in love with the A-10, but the AC-130 is the true terror. If one of those is on station above your position, then you are already dead.
Папуасов в самый раз гонять. Во время привычной войны он не проживёт над полем боя и 30 секунд.
точно, руZZких папуасов в самый раз гонять!
Hypnotic! Lost track of time watching these specialists do their thing. 🇺🇸 💖🤍💙
The price of each of those big shells could feed families for years..
105mm ammo, $500 ea, missles, 80k +
Maybe, but those rounds are the price of freedom.
@badwizard1312 those rounds are the price of death my friend, whoever invented them should be ashamed.
@@badwizard1312 your loosing your freedoms without a shot fired.
I spent 32 years on military flight lines... Looking at this video I can almost smell the acrid jet exhaust fumes.....
I Approve this Gunship
I can't even imagine what all that costs to have and operate.
You don’t want to know….
Imagine what it would cost in lives not to have these airborne avenging angels! 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
@@bobbranson8171 Wouldn't MORE people be alive..?
@@bobbranson8171 A great number of innocent civilians have been murdered by them. And each of those has the rippling effect of causing even more loss of life when friends and family want to be "avenging angels" for the innocent. Would you sacrifice your family's lives if it got 1 criminal killed? Would you be pissed at the person/people that made that call? Effectively, they endanger FAR more lives than have been "saved" by them. But hey, it's an imperfect world.
@@SircoleYT Still grieving for all your friends in ISIS huh?
I was an avionics technician and I was always amazed at the complexities of these airborne systems. It's kind of sad, really, that war is when we at our most innovative. The human race is amazing in it's capacity to find novel ways to kill other humans.
There is a video from one of the guys that worked on these gunships and he said everyone who worked that job got really sick from the lead in all the primers that would fill the aircraft. I am not sure if it was true or not but pretty sad if it is.
i appreciate you showing the maintainers. hardest job in the force.
What an incredible flying battleship, an actual WMD, so to speak.
@Jesus has given you all. Repent or die. Quick question for you Jebus, how old is the Universe?
0:50 on passenger planes it says, don't walk on the wings
lenny108- there’s certain walkways marked off that you can walk on. No step areas are also marked.
Who needs clean drinking water in our public schools, vets with quality health care, or bridges that aren't falling apart when we can spend all our country's money on this awesome piece of machinery
I am watching from kalam valley
Thanks