- The AC 130 is a C130 Hercules kitted out with a mix of
20mm mini-guns (6 barrel) firing 3,000 rounds per minute (usually 2 x)
, 7,62mm mini-gune (6 barrel) firing 6,000 rounds per minute (usually 2
- 4 x), a few 40 mm pom-poms firing 120 rounds per minute and a 105 mm
cannon with a slower rate of probably about 4 - 8 rounds a minute. All
this is backed up by incredible night vision equipment, radar and electronic
evesdropping surveilance equipment. One particular radar device is called
Black Crow and it can detect a vehicles engine firing at a few miles. If
it moves it dies! Basically, they fly mostly at night with heavilly suppressed
engines. They truly own the night.
-
- This aircraft is an update of the Vietnam era "Puff
the Magic Dragon" gunships, which were basically Second World War
Dakota aircraft with first a few single barreled Brownings in 7.62 firing
sideways. eventually these slow firing Browning machine guns gave way to
a few miniguns.
-
- The AC 130 has longer endurance and many more anti-missile
defences. All gunships fly in a circular pattern called a pylon turn. They
say that if one had four football fields in a square (two by two) and the
AC 130 came by firing, there would be no greater than 4 inch gaps between
each bullet. In other words, you would end up with lots of holes, no matter
where you ran. Very impressive. With the mini-guns pumping out all that
brass, a few full time snow shovellers were on board just to clear away
the masses of "Doppies" generated. If you need more info. , let
me know
-
- Regards, Allan Liston
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