AC-47 Spooky
The AC-47 Spooky was a twin-engine ground-attack aircraft used by the US Air Force during the Vietnam War. The AC-47 gunship development was based on the C-47 Skytrain transport plane airframe. The company that redesigned and manufactured it was the Douglas Aircraft Company. It entered service with the United States Air Force in Vietnam in 1965.
The C-47 was turned into the AC-47 gunship by mounting three 7.62mm General Electric miniguns to fire through two rear window openings and the side cargo door, all on the left (pilot’s) side of the aircraft. Douglas produced a total of 53 Spooky gunships. It was replaced by the AC-119 Shadow in 1968.
Specifications for the AC-47 Spooky
Engine: two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engines, 1,200 hp each.
Maximum speed: 230 mph (375 km/h).
Range: 2,175 mi (3,500 km).
Length: 64 ft 5 in (19.6 m).
Wingspan: 95 ft 0 in (28.9 m).
Crew: eight (pilot, copilot, navigator, flight engineer, loadmaster, two gunners and a South Vietnamese observer).
Weapons: three 7.62mm General Electric GAU-2/M134 miniguns; ten .30 in Browning AN/M2 machine guns.
AC-47 Gunship in Action in Vietnam (Video)
