air force's newest gunship ac-130j ghostrider

Some day in the future, the Ghostrider could even be equipped with a high-energy laser. The AC-130J Ghostrider is set to be the most heavily-armed gunship in history, bristling with 30mm and 105mm cannons, AGM-176A Griffin missiles, and the ability to carry Hellfire missiles and GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs.

While flying at night, it's very useful to have aids to see where exactly you are aiming, and the AC-130 has other laser-targeting and range-finding sensors to aid in the crew's marksmanship.HURLBURT FIELD, FLORIDA - In the not-too-distant future, when ground troops call for close-air support, the ‘Ghostrider’ and its deadly arsenal could come to their rescue. The green beam proved extremely useful for 'managing a very chaotic situation on the ground,' Slife said, adding that gunship crews used it to communicate with ground forces about threats, thereby 'building the situational awareness for the force on the ground and keeping the adversaries kind of pushed back while the evacuation was underway.' It often indicates a user profile.Īn AC-130J conducts call-for-fire training with Special Tactics operators in Florida in May.ĭuring the chaotic Kabul evacuation, AC-130 gunships and AH-64 attack helicopters provided air cover for troops on the ground, who had the challenging mission of evacuating tens of thousands of people who crowded the airport to escape the Taliban.ĭuring the evacuation, AC-130J crews used their green lasers, which are visible to the naked eye, to illuminate people who breached the Kabul airport compound, allowing ground forces intercept them or drive them off.

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Air force's newest gunship ac-130j ghostrider