AC-130A Spectre - Vaparaiso, FL
N 30° 28.031 W 086° 33.715
16R E 542052 N 3370636
This aircraft was the first C-130 off the production line in 1953. This plane was known as "The First Lady."
Waymark Code: WMGVEG
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 04/11/2013
Views: 5
With the success of the AC-47D "Spooky" gunships in Vietnam, the USAF created two modification programs for improved and larger gunships. The Fairchild AC-119G and AC-119Ks were developed under the Gunship III program, and the Lockheed AC-130A was developed under the Gunship II program.
Compared to the AC-47D, the AC-130A "Spectre" gunship was equipped with more and bigger guns -- four MXU-470 7.62mm miniguns and four M61A1 20mm cannons. Gunship II was also equipped with a more sophisticated avionics suite including the Night Observation Device, Forward Looking InfraRed, side looking radar, beacon tracking radar and a fire control computer system. The AC-130A was also equipped with a 20 kilowatt (1.5 million candlepower) illuminator and a flare launcher.
On Feb. 26, 1967, the first aircraft (JC-130A S/N 54-1626) was selected for conversion into the prototype AC-130 gunship. The modifications were done in April and May 1967 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, by the Aeronautical Systems Division. Flight testing of the prototype was done primarily at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and began on June 6, 1967. Testing and additional modifications were done throughout the summer of 1967. By early September, the aircraft was certified ready for combat testing. The prototype was flown to Nha Trang Air Base, South Vietnam arriving on Sept. 21, 1967, for a 90-day test program.
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