Air Force AC-130 ‘Ghostrider’ Gunship To Lose Its Biggest Gun

ANALYSIS – The question is, should it be removed? This story immediately caught my eye as I used to work with these types of impressive aerial gunships quite a bit when I was a spotter/forward air controller (FAC) with the Marines.

I was with a unique Marine airborne unit called ANGLICO (Air/Naval Gunfire Liaison Company). We supported foreign militaries and the Army’s 18^th Airborne Corps. In joint operations, Air Force assets such as these would often be added to the combat mix.

And it was always reassuring to hear these Air Force gunships (often along with Army Apache attack helicopters) buzzing above, shining their infrared beams on the ground around us.

AC-130s are highly modified versions of the ubiquitous Lockheed Martin-made C-130 transport, fitted out with a plethora of weapons systems used to support ground forces with precision fires.

This powerful gunship first saw action during the Vietnam War. We also used them a lot during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly on close air support missions such as the battles of Fallujah.

Back when I was in, the version I worked with was called ‘Spectre,’ with a  far different weapons load out. Other iterations were called ‘Spooky,’ and the less cool name ‘Stinger II.’ (I guess the guy providing the cooler names was off that day.)

All the AC-130s are also called the “Angel of Death.’

The latest AC-130J ‘Ghostrider’ gunship version is quite the beast. Outfitted with twin cannons – a 30mm cannon that can fire up to 200 rounds per minute next to the 105mm big gun, it also can carry precision-guided munitions such as the AGM-176 Griffin, AGM-114 Hellfire, GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb and GBU-69 Small Glide Munition.

Yes, this monster has a recently upgraded 105mm howitzer mounted on the left side of the aircraft. The plane typically flies in counterclockwise loops over the target area – often for hours – providing top cover for our troops on the ground, as its gunners pound enemy positions.

As Defense News noted: “Former AFSOC [Air Force Special operations Command] head Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold pushed for the AC-130J to have the 105mm cannon alongside the 30mm weapon, telling reporters in a 2015 conversation: ‘I want two guns.’”

But now, the Air Force wants to get rid of that big gun, as early as 2026.

A source in the gunship community, told Defense News that AFSOC has pretty much decided to remove the 105mm cannon.

“It’s a fait accompli,” he said.

But not everyone is happy with this decision.

Defense News explained:

The source added that removing the massive cannon from the plane’s left side would create an imbalance in the aircraft’s center of gravity, among other structural issues. The price tag to remove the weapon and fix the airframe across the fleet would likely be in the millions of dollars, he explained.

“When you cut a hole in that airplane, it’s a major structural intrusion,” he said. “You can’t just yank the gun out of it and fly around with that hole. You’ve got to redesign the fuselage where it was cut out.”

John Venable, a former F-16 pilot and senior defense fellow at the Heritage Foundation think tank, told Defense News the AC-130J would not survive a war against China and that the command is right to rethink its mission. However, he added, the command should leave the 105mm gun in place on a portion of the fleet to conduct missions in permissive environments like the Middle East.

“This is a significant move,” Venable said. “In a high-intensity fight where you’ve got air-to-air threats and long-range [surface-to-air missiles], it would be relegated to a position — much like the [E-8] JSTARS, much like the [E-3 Sentry] AWACS — to where it would be almost combat ineffective in its current role. We will still need AC-130s to fly top cover in Africa; the same thing with our troops in Syria.”

Still, to be effective in any big power conflict, the birds designated for that fight need standoff distance to survive.

One idea noted by Defense News is to add small cruise missiles to the AC-130J. They could be ejected from the gunship’s rear ramp to be launched – as palletized munitions, with a container of multiple cruise missiles dropped out and then fired in a barrage.

This is the Air Force’s ‘Rapid Dragon’ concept which I wrote about here. Alternatively, the missiles could be mounted and launched from the Ghostrider’s wings.

Either way, this would give the AC-130J the ability to engage static and mobile enemies from a safer distance. But, according to the first Air Force official quoted by Defense News, they won’t be entirely shifting the AC-130J’s mission to standoff strike, however.

With, or without its biggest gun, the 105mm cannon, the ‘Ghostrider’ will still be able to provide close air support. All I can say is ‘we will see.’

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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