A C-47 transport conversion armed with side-firing miniguns that established the modern fixed-wing gunship concept in Vietnam.
Development
Douglas AC-47 Spooky was developed by Douglas Aircraft Company in United States as a gunship. The family first flew in 1964 and entered service in 1965. Its recorded airframe configuration is fixed wing, with the family classified in the archive as core combat-aircraft scope.
Operational History
Operationally, Douglas AC-47 Spooky is represented primarily in the gunship role. The sourced variant records include service with United States Air Force. Its documented combat-history coverage includes Vietnam War. Role tags attached to the family include counterinsurgency.
Variants and Lineage
Major variants represented in the structured record include AC-47D.
Variants
| Designation | Type | Role | Recorded operators |
|---|---|---|---|
| AC-47D | Conversion | Gunship | United States Air Force |
Representative specifications
Configuration-specific profiles are shown separately so values from different variants are not blended into one false “standard” aircraft.
AC-47D — C015 baseline technical profile
- Crew
- 5
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830 piston engines
Armament: Three side-firing 7.62 mm miniguns in the classic Vietnam gunship fit.
Sources and further reading
Structured references supporting this aircraft family, variants, specifications, and narrative sections.
- American Combat Planes — Doubleday · Tier 3