The AC-130 is a long-running family of side-firing gunships created by converting C-130 transport airframes into persistent direct-fire combat aircraft for close air support, interdiction and armed reconnaissance.
Development and Conversion Lineage
The AC-130 began by adapting the C-130 airframe to the side-firing gunship mission. The high-wing layout and payload capacity made the transport airframe especially suitable for carrying heavy weapons and ammunition. Spectre was operationally tested in 1967 and deployed to Southeast Asia that September. For archive scope, the combat conversion is a core family while the ordinary C-130 transport remains outside the combat-aircraft dataset.
Operational and Combat History
AC-130 gunships established a sustained close-air-support and interdiction role in Vietnam and continued through later operations. Successive variants increased weapon caliber, sensors, precision engagement and digital mission systems while preserving the core persistent side-firing gunship concept.
Variants
Phase 1B models the AC-130A, H, U, W and J. The U, W and J records deliberately carry independent specification profiles because crew size, propulsion, weapons and mission systems changed substantially even though they remain members of the same combat family.
Variants
| Designation | Type | Role | Recorded operators |
|---|---|---|---|
| AC-130A Spectre | Conversion | Gunship | United States Air Force |
| AC-130H Spectre | Conversion | Gunship | United States Air Force |
| AC-130J Ghostrider | Conversion | Gunship | United States Air Force |
| AC-130U Spooky | Conversion | Gunship | United States Air Force |
| AC-130W Stinger II | 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-130A — Hurlburt historical airframe profile
- Length
- 29.79 m
- Wingspan
- 40.41 m
- Height
- 11.66 m
Powerplant: 4 × Allison T56 family
Armament: Early AC-130A gunships used side-firing 7.62 mm and 20 mm weapons; later A-model configurations evolved.
AC-130U Spooky — USAF profile
- Crew
- 13
- Length
- 29.8 m
- Wingspan
- 40.4 m
- Height
- 11.7 m
- Maximum speed
- 482.8 km/h (300 mph at sea level)
- Range
- 2,407.6 km (approximately 1,300 nautical miles)
- Service ceiling
- 7,576 m
Powerplant: 4 × Allison T56-A-15 · 3,206.5 kW (4,300 shp per engine)
Armament: 25 mm Gatling gun, 40 mm cannon and 105 mm cannon in the cited USAF configuration.
Sensors / avionics: Multispectral television, infrared and synthetic-aperture radar/fire-control systems.
AC-130W Stinger II — USAF profile
- Crew
- 7
- Maximum speed
- 555.6 km/h (300 knots)
- Range
- 4,630 km (2,500 nautical miles)
- Service ceiling
- 8,534.4 m
Powerplant: 4 × Allison T56-A-15 · 3,206.5 kW (4,300 shp per engine)
Armament: Precision Strike Package with trainable 30 mm and 105 mm weapons plus selected standoff precision-guided munitions.
Sensors / avionics: EO/IR sensors, synthetic-aperture radar, advanced fire control and mission-management systems.
AC-130J Ghostrider — USAF January 2025 profile
- Crew
- 8
- Length
- 29.3 m
- Wingspan
- 39.7 m (Metric value printed in USAF fact sheet alongside 132 ft 7 in; retained as published)
- Height
- 11.9 m
- Range
- 4,828 km (3,000 miles; air-refueled endurance limited by crew duty day)
Powerplant: 4 × Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 · 3,504.8 kW (4,700 shp per engine)
Armament: Precision Strike Package with 30 mm and 105 mm cannons plus mission-dependent standoff precision-guided munitions.
Sensors / avionics: Integrated navigation, EO/IR, communications and fire-control/precision-strike mission systems.
Sources and further reading
Structured references supporting this aircraft family, variants, specifications, and narrative sections.
- AC-130A Spectre — Hurlburt Field / 1st Special Operations Wing History Office · Tier 1
- AC-130J Ghostrider — United States Air Force · Tier 1
- AC-130U — United States Air Force · Tier 1
- AC-130W Stinger II — United States Air Force · Tier 1