Tag: AC-130J Ghostrider
AC-130U gunship, tail number 513 was the last Spooky with its guns still installed and one of the very last to retire altogether. On Aug. 19, 2019 the last armed AC-130U “Spooky” gunship, tail number 513, retired to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), Ariz.
The AC-130U Spooky is being replaced downrange by the AC-130J Ghostrider, the most lethal and innovative gunship in the world. The final AC-130U Spooky gunship returned from the airframe's last scheduled combat deployment at Hurlburt Field, on Jul. 8, 2019. While still on alert to respond to contingencies as needed for the next...
The AC-130J will not be going into combat anytime soon as U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command is lagging behind in training operators for the new variant The commander of U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command disclosed that the service will declare Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for its newest gunship – AC-130J – later this month. But the aircraft will not...
