Lockheed AC-130

The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily-armed ground-attack aircraft. The basic airframe is manufactured by Lockheed, and Boeing is responsible for the conversion into a gunship and for aircraft support.[1] It is a variant of the C-130 Hercules transport plane. The AC-130A Gunship II superseded the AC-47 Gunship I in Vietnam.
The gunship's sole user is the United States Air Force, which uses AC-130H Spectre and AC-130U Spooky variants.[2] The AC-130 is powered by four turboprops and has an armament ranging from 20 mm Gatling guns to 105 mm howitzers. It has a standard crew of twelve or thirteen airmen, including five officers (two pilots, a navigator, an electronic warfare officer and a fire control officer) and enlisted personnel (flight engineer, electronics operators and aerial gunners).

Role
Fixed-wing gunship
Manufacturer
Lockheed and Boeing
First flight
AC-130A: 1966AC-130U: 1990
Introduction
AC-130A: 1968AC-130U: 1995
Status
Active
Primary user
United States Air Force
Number built
43, including all variants (25, Active)
Unit cost
AC-130H: US$132.4 million
AC-130U: US$190 million (2001)