v.hah's Military Review: AC-130 Spooky/Spectre

Angel of Death?: No, it's a BIG ASS, Angel of Death

Picture courtesy of http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com

Every heard of the term “Death from above” or anything similar to that? Well, I would think variant of this quote have started making sense since the Wright brothers invented the first flying machine, of course without much of an offensive capability. Flying straight and true would already be a challenge in itself! :)

One would believe the term truly meant something when some genius of a pilot decided to bring some artillery shells with him when he flew to drop it down on the enemy position that he was reconnoitering. Back then, planes were used as artillery spotter and they still are to a certain extent in order to advice artillery units on the enemy positions.

Flying has gone a long way since then and one of the many ways men have fully exploited the ability to fly is to start shooting from planes and this over the decades has become more and more accurate ranging from unguided dumb bombs, 500lbs, 800lbs, 1000lbs etc all the way to precision guided bombs such as the Paveway series of guided munitions. This has indeed minimized collateral damage and ensure as much as possible, only the target is destroyed and nothing else around it. Imagine blowing up a kindergarten together with a terrorist camp next to it. And sadly, these things do happen and can happen again.

Having said this, military scientists have experimented with different methods of ‘delivery’ for these munitions. One can invent one of the most devastating bombs around, but it would ultimately be useless if the munitions are not delivered to the intended coordinates. Sophisticated missiles systems have been designed to be launched from fixed emplacements, but more realistically in terms of cost and accuracy, we now still look back at the aeroplane.

One delivery platform is the AC-130. Well the AC-130 was not originally developed with an offensive capability, but rather as the C-130 Hercules in mind for heavy military airborne transportation. The C-130 is so successful that it has been modified extensively over the decades resulting in many variants for different mission requirements for different air forces. Because of that, it is still in use in many air forces around the world. So how did the AC-130 come about from all this? It came about during a time when strike missions were normally carried out by A-1 Skyraider, A-4 Skyhawk etc. but nevertheless, such strike aircraft were unable to carry enough munitions to inflict sufficient damage for a prolonged time also know as 'linger time'. Linger time is the amount of time an attack craft is able to patrol a particular area and this is especially important for combat air support (CAS) missions where linger time is important for ground troops in order for them to call in firepower when needed. The AC-47 Spooky's (now replaced by the AC-130) advantage over other smaller craft is that it is able to perform CAS for a longer period of time, dispense superior firepower, and able to do close recon work from above.

Another bonus point that the Spooky has over other attack craft comes from a psychological aspect to the enemy. Now, one may think, what has psychology got to do with all this? Well, psychology has got EVERYTHING to do with all this. There is nothing more devastating to a campaign than losing morale which means soldiers losing the will to fight which leads to the eventual defeat of a military force. Having said that, how does an AC-130 instill fear in the enemy? Put yourself in this scenario, in the shoes of a VC soldier.

Here you are, clutching your grimy AK-47 hoping to kill some capitalist American dogs and perhaps somehow survive this war and eventually lead a happier life after that. All goes well, you hear your commanding officer shouting his lungs out urging you to go on the offensive. Off you go getting straight into the good stuff, popping off shots everywhere while yelling insults at the enemy. Partway through the action, you hear the roar of engines up above. You look up. It’s only ap speck but gradually grows bigger and bigger and bigger as it come closer and closer. The noise is deafening and all of a sudden, this big plane tilts to one side, and out of it pours pounding artillery shells blowing up big craters in the ground, a ripping staccato sickly reminding you of your zipper pants, only louder and continuous plus accurate fire decimating your pals and mates all around you. You panic. This is not how it’s supposed to be. Uncle Ho didn’t prepare you for this. You run. You try to run away from this madness. Somehow you survive, and here you live to tell the tale to your fellow colleagues and mates about how you escaped death from the fire breathing flying dragon in the sky.

Story telling over. I hope I was able to paint a believable scenario with my amateurish story telling but I hope you get the picture. The AC-130’s strategic advantage may not mean much directly, but it’s the after effects that matters most.

Some pictures to go along with this post.