Posted: 2/21/2007 9:23:44 PM EDT
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Ok so I'm the acting Cadet Aerospace Officer in my local Civil Air Patrol Squadron and I checked my E-mail about a hour ago, and found my Commander sent me a "Can you have a Aerospace Current Event ready by 18:30 22 Feb (17 hours from now)" letter. Basically it has to be "contemporary and relevant" and about aerospace. It doesn't have to be long or complex because the CAP cadet core is made up of 12-21year olds. I'm going to have about 10mins to read this out loud. I wrote this up but thought it would be helpful if you guys looked over it and gave me advice. Thanks, TimL, C/A1C, CAP Cadet Assistant Aerospace Education Officer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The AC-130 The AC-130 is a very interesting and important aircraft. Evolving from earlier gunships such as the AC-47, it started life as the AC-130A armed with a set of 7.62 Miniguns, a set of 20mm cannon and a twin 40mm Bofors cannon. Subsequent versions such as the AC-130 E and H upgraded their armament, electronics and avionics until reaching the current model the U, which has a large array of electronics including a FLIR system that can tell friendly from enemy troops and a computer guided fire control system that allows the plane to engage two targets simultaneously from up to 18,000 feet with pinpoint accuracy. It also has more modern and heavier armaments including a 25mm minigun each capable of 1,800 round per minute, a 40mm cannon that can fire up to 100 shots per minute and a huge 105mm howitzer that put out 6-10 shells a minute. There is also a new program that has been initiated to upgrade the armament of existing AC-130s still in service. The 25 mm GAU-12/U and 40 mm Bofors are to be replaced with two Mk 44 Bushmaster II 30 mm cannons that provides improved maintainability & lethality for the gunship. The first aircraft is completed, with three more to join the fleet by December 2007, and fleetwide modifications complete by 2010. The AC-130U is large for a combat plane with a maximum takeoff weight of 155,000 pounds, a wing span of 132 feet and tail to nose length of 97 feet, but still has a range of 22,000 nautical miles and a top speed of 300mph (260 knots) powered by four 4,910hp Allison turbo prop engines. The AC-130 has a long combat career dating back to Vietnam and has been in just about every war since including a starring role invasion of Panama in1989 when they destroyed Panama Defense Force headquarters and numerous command and control facilities. Throughout 1998 AFSOC maintained a constant Combat Search And Rescue ) alert posture as part of Operation JOINT GUARD, with aircraft and personnel flying on a routine basis. This role increased significantly in March 1999 during the crisis in Kosovo and Operation ALLIED FORCE. Operation ALLIED FORCE witnessed the employment of the AC-130U to provide armed reconnaissance. All told, AFSOC’s special operators and aircraft played a significant role in bringing the conflict in Kosovo to an end. AC-130s did a combat strike as recently as Jan 10. On January 7-8, 2007, U.S. military special forces struck suspected al-Qaeda militants in Somalia. The operation involved one or more AC-130 gunships. A senior Somali official, Hussein Aidid, reported that the strike killed a senior al-Qaeda operative who has been wanted for the US embassy bombing in Kenya and Tanzania. US Intelligence has not confirmed this. The al-Qaeda operatives, whom the United States believes are believed responsible for bombing U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, escaped Mogadishu after Ethiopian troops invaded on December 28. They were tracked with unmanned aerial drones as they fled south to Hayi, 30 miles from Afmadow. 155 miles away, another AC-130 participated in the Battle of Ras Kamboni that occurred on a group of six rocky islands. That attack took place during the afternoon of January 8 on Badmadow Island and targeted what the U.S. believed to be an al-Qaeda terrorist training base. A second report mentioned least four more AC-130 airstrikes targeted Ras Kamboni on Jan 10. In late December 2001 a Department of Defense Program Budget Decision (PBD) called for purchasing at least eight additional AC-130U Spooky gunships, and initiating work on an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration or AC(X) a possible replacement gunship aircraft. The AC(X) could be either a further upgrade to the existing AC-130 an entirely new follow-on system. A formal procurement program for the AC(X) was expected to begin in Fiscal Year 2005 (FY05). Special operators want the new gunship, or AC-X, to be much smaller than a C-130, with fewer crew members. They want it to be stealthy, with the speed and maneuverability of a long-range jet fighter. They want it equipped with directed energy weapons and non-lethal technologies, and it should be able to engage targets from any angle-above and below, front and back. |
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AC-130U has the ability to draw it's guns inboard, allowing it to be pressurized. This allows a higher cruise altitude, faster TAS, quicker responce to the battlefield, and less crew fatigue. Also, a new "GUN" is in the works for the "U". I don't remember exactly what it is, but it will replace the 40mm Bofers. It's a cross platform weapon, meaning other units and services will be using it, so Ammo will be widely available. Google is your friend! |
Wasn't it a 30mm Bushmaster cannon? |
That is a pretty cool fact.I'll try to work that in.Do you have any sources I can site? I read they were thinking about replacing the 105mm with a 120mm breech loading motar. And they are changing out the 25mm and 40mm for 2 30mms. |
That might be true, but I'm here to teach other cadets about Aerospace, not debate if an aircraft is good against AAA,SAMs or fighters. Like most people have never seen or heard of the Kamov KA-50, but my cadets know that the Russians have a heli with a ejector seat and can go 200mph. |
Noted. |
Both the A-10's GAU-8 and the AC-130U's Mk 44 cannon use 30x173mm rounds. |
Not after you take out the anti-aircraft and capabilities of the enemy and their air force. |
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IF you have time, you might want to follow this link http://www2.hurlburt.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3484 There are some phone numbers at the bottom, for the Public Affairs Officer at Hurlburt. You might be able to get more info from them. Maybe even a Point of Contact at one of the AC-130 units, and get a detailed briefing from them, to incorporate into your briefing. Nothing beats current INTEL, direct from the source! |
Sounds great....but it's due by 18:30 today and I still haven't gone to sleep yet, plus the fact I was told it only needed to be 1-2 pages and only 10minutes to present them. If I have more time and need more info I will use that info though. |
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Decent briefing- I fly on AC-130U "Spooky" Gunship . Here are a few more sites to check out: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/ac-130u.htm http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=71 http://www.theaviationzone.com/factsheets/ac130.asp |
That's easier said than done. |
Obviously, it would be of limited use against a superpower, but how often do these conflicts occur - they've been using proxies since WW II to fight against us. |
I already used two of the links you posted. Great minds think alike. Or we used the same search words on google 
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True, but the world is changing. And if history has taught us anything... |
...It's that its all fun and games until someone loses an eye. |
What about those portable Stinger type missles? |
A viable threat but AC-130s do carry countermeasures. |
Damn you! I was about to log off then I saw your post! The Russian SA-18 has a service ceiling of 3.5 km and a range of 5.2km. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SA-18 Now I'm really logging off. Out. |
Why do that when you can use ARFcoms search function and find the post I did on /2/2007 at 12:00:56 AM PST. My post has pictures and everything.  First USAF AC-130U "Spooky" Gunship cannon upgrade to 30mm Bushmaster cannon completed www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=543143 |