#Flares in gunship iii install

Also installed were overt and covert illuminators, armor plate, and better navigation equipment. Four 7.62 miniguns and four M-61 Vulcan 20 mm cannons were installed in Gunship II, along with a side- and forward-looking radar, a Starlight scope night observation device, and a computerized fire-control system linking sensors and guns. Terry proposed a converted C-130A with improved sensors and weapons, more ammunition, and improved performance. A high wing was preferred for ease of gun and sensor installation. The goal was an aircraft that could carry more equipment for longer times with greater safety. Nonetheless, the US had to try to interdict the flow of supplies, and the best tool for the job was obviously an improved gunship. Spooky's mission expanded to include interdiction of roads, trails, and rivers, and this greatly increased the demand for its services. Forty-seven AC-47s went to Vietnam, and 12 were lost. The gunships now designated AC-47s, had to operate low, slow, at night, and in bad weather.

#Flares in gunship iii install

30-caliber machine guns and install them, 10 at a time, in four C-47s.īy the end of 1965, the Air Force had flown 277 combat missions-but had lost two aircraft. Terry got authorization to take 300 old M-2. The 7.62 miniguns were excellent weapons but were in short supply. The very sound and fury of the FC-47 raised South Vietnamese morale even as it 'spooked' the VC, and the aircraft soon got affectionate nicknames such as 'Puff' and 'Dragonship.' The call sign 'Spooky' was assigned to early gunship operations. There were challenges: A night illumination system was needed, and the flares, some dating to World War II, often did not work. Then it was sent to Trung Hung, where, under a barrage of 4,500 rounds of ammunition, the Viet Cong again were forced to leave.

The first part of the sortie was flown at Thanh Yend, where the FC-47 dropped 17 flares and expended 4,500 rounds of ammunition, causing the Viet Cong to break off their assault. Eight days later, the first night mission had a double success. 15 marked the first of several successful day missions. The Air Force had created two FC-47s ('FC' meant 'Fighter Cargo,') by 7.6 mm Gatling guns, a gun sight cobbled up from a crosshair reticle and a 16 mm camera reflex viewfinder, and a supply of flares.ĭec. Terry began operations during December 1964. Terry is one of the few individuals in military history that helped create a totally new weapon system and tested it in combat himself. Terry was a project pilot who was assigned to put the concept into practice. The straight line of the rope could translate into a straight line of gunfire at a single point on Earth if the gunship were flown in a similar pylon turn.Ĭapt. The pouch remained stationary over a point on Earth at the end of a long rope as he flew pylon turns around the point. Stories of a missionary who had been able to air-deliver mail and supplies to remote villages by lowering them in a weighted pouch. 30-caliber Lewis machine gun mounted on the wing of a de Havilland DH-4 It flew 'pylon turns' to keep the gun on target. The concept of the gunship originated in 1926 with a. Gunships are generally considered side-firing airborne weapons platforms. The airborne gunship was a totally new weapons system.